Peseiro reveals the players he wants to play for Nigeria

Super Eagles manager Jose Peseiro in Egypt to support the Flying Eagles

SUPER EAGLES Peseiro reveals the players he wants to play for Nigeria

Joba Ogunwale 21:47 - 22.01.2023

The Super Eagles manager was recently in England to watch players like Eberechi Eze, who is still eligible to play for Nigeria.

Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro has said he would only call up players who are dedicated and motivated to play for Nigeria.

Peseiro said this in light of his recent visit to England where he watched a couple of Super Eagles stars and players of Nigerian descent. 

Pesiero watched Eze and Tosin 

The Portuguese tactician watched the likes of Alex Iwobi and Taiwo Awoniyi, while he also saw Eberechi Eze and Tosin Adarabioyo in action for Crystal Palace and Fulham, respectively. 

While the former are full Nigerian internationals, the latter two are still yet to play for the three-time African champions. 

Peseiro watched Eze during his recent trip to England

Although Eze and Tosin were born in England, they are eligible to play for Nigeria through their parents. The two stars have represented the Three Lions at the youth level but they are yet to play for England at the senior level. 

It does not look like they will get a chance anytime soon, leading to suggestions that they could play for Nigeria. 

Peseiro offers no guarantees

However, while Peseiro is excited by the idea of having players of Nigerian origin in the diaspora play for the Super Eagles, the Portuguese tactician insists he will only call up players who are the right fit and are willing to represent the country. 

“I was in some matches when I was in England to see some players, then at the same time we discover, ‘well that player can play for us, also’, normally young players,” Peseiro told the Mirror. 

“There are many good players with quality, capacity and good training. For us, if we want to win the next AFCON, I am happy because I have many players with quality to create a good national team.

Peseiro also watched Awoniyi during his trip to England

“But it’s not easy to choose the right players. We try to see them in the match, after that I try to call them for our practice and our friendly games because we want to create a small group with quality for developing in training and practice to implement our ideas to win the next AFCON.

“But there are a lot of players, and they need to show the maximum demand and motivation to play for Nigeria. Quality, of course, but demand and motivation to play for us,” Peseiro added. 

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It remains to be seen if Peseiro will hand call-ups to these players, but the Portuguese tactician is expected to name his next squad in March ahead of Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. 

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