'They are nice and friendly' - Leon Balogun gives Jose Peseiro pass mark on first meeting

Super Eagles defender Leon Balogun has revealed that it is exciting to be working under new Super Eagles manager Jose Peseiro. 

The 33-year-old former Rangers centre-back noted that the Jose Peseiro-led technical team is still trying to find its feet in Nigeria but assured that first impressions have been good from the Portuguese team.

Balogun recently joined up with the Nigerian national team in Abuja as part of the 27-man squad invited to prosecute a doubleheader AFCON 2023 qualifier against Sierra Leone and Sao Tome and Principe.

As reported by FootballLive, Balogun first explained that he did not join up with the Super Eagles for their friendlies in the United States because of a minor injury he picked up during his last match for Rangers, the Scottish Cup.

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The former Brighton player confirmed that the Super Eagles coaching team had permitted him to miss the friendlies and focus on being available for the qualifiers instead.

Balogun said on returning to the Super Eagles camp: “It’s been some time and it’s always nice to be here. It's always good vibes; always enjoyable.

“I recovered from a little knock I got from the Scottish Cup final and I just consulted with the Managing team and they just said make sure you’re fit for the qualifiers and that was it pretty much.”

Speaking about training under Peseiro for the first time, the centre-back noted that he is looking forward to the new approach the coach would bring to the team but stated that he has been impressed so far.

Balogun specifically stated that the new coaching crew has been 'open and friendly' while they are trying to understand the Nigerian system.

“Well, it’s always exciting and interesting to see what he comes up with; what kind of fresh air he brings to the team," Balogun said.

“But I’ve only been here for two days, only had one session, so it’s a bit early to really make a judgment.

“First impression has been nice, they’re very open, very friendly and they’re trying to get used to what Nigeria is about, I’m looking forward to that.”

Balogun makes his return to the Super Eagles squad after playing both legs of Nigeria's ill-fated World Cup Qualifiers against the Black Stars of Ghana in March.

Since then, Balogun has reached the final of the Europa League with Rangers, won the Scottish Cup and saw his contract expire with the Scottish giants.

The 33-year-old defender has made 45 appearances for the Nigerian senior team since making his debut in March 2014 under the late Stephen Keshi.