We won't drop him - Amuneke confirms Maduka Okoye is still Super Eagles No 1 goalkeeper

Super Eagles senior coach Emmanuel Amuneke has confirmed that Maduka Okoye is expected to retain his place as the first-choice goalkeeper for the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

Thus, the Sparta Rotterdam goalkeeper is set to start within the sticks during Nigeria's two-legged World Cup Qualifiers against the Black Stars of Ghana later this month.

Okoye came under fire when his blunder against Tunisia at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarterfinal led to Nigeria's ouster from the competition.

As the Super Eagles prepare for their first match since that loss, the Super Eagles senior coach has reiterated the decision to stick with the 22-year-old goalkeeper between the sticks. 

Amuneke told BrillaFM that Okoye is only human and as such the Netherlands-based goalkeeper would not be dropped for one mistake.

Amuneke said: "I'm not a goalkeeper trainer, but we have someone in that department, which is Alloy Agu.

"Regardless, Maduka Okoye is a good goalkeeper and human being, so we can't because of one mistake dump him."

Okoye has been in impressive form since he returned to Rotterdam after AFCON 2022, recently producing a Match of the Match performance in a dramatic clash with Vitesse Arnhem.

The venue of the first leg of the clash between the Super Eagles and the Black Stars has now been changed to the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi. 

The Nigeria Football Federation has also started selling tickets for the second leg of the fixture slated to hold at the Moshood Abiola Stadium Abuja. 

The first leg is scheduled to hold on Friday, March 25 while the return leg holds on Tuesday, March 29.