Nigerian Footballers who deserve to make their Super Eagles Debut

These players deserve their fair chance of featuring in the colors of Super Eagles.

Below are the five talented lads who should make their debut for the three-time African champions.

Adeleye Adebayo - Hapoel Jerusalem

This time in 2017, there was doubt as to whether Adeleye Adebayo would last at the top level. He has relished the occasion for Hapoel Jerusalem.

His command of his penalty box has improved immeasurably and his shot stopping is of a high level. It speaks volumes that he has kept 3 clean sheets this term.

Adeleye will be looking to earn his first international cap and push his way into the reckoning to play at AFCON 2022.

Igoh Ogbu - Lillestrøm

Ogbu seems to have learned a great deal from playing at Lillestrøm. He reads the game well, tackles shrewdly and rarely makes the type of cheap error associated with young players.

The Lillestrøm man is a major talent and is certainly one of the best products in their team.

Godswill Ekpolo - Hacken

The right-back broke through the ranks of Barcelona B but later moved on to Hacken, and in the Allsvenskan, he has positively flourished. Already, this season, he has earned himself the status as an ever-present with his versatility, a talent that Rohr will no doubt have noticed.

He is most at home in the heart of a back four, though he is also an accomplished defensive midfielder.

Raphael Onyedika - Midtjyllland

Born in Nigeria, the defensive midfielder has often been compared to Wilfred Ndidi due to the ground he covers over the course of a game and also his box-to-box nature.

Opportunities at this standard, though, have been scant due to the rich variety of options that Rohr has at his disposal.

If Onyedika is to make himself a fixture for the national team, this could be his only shot, and if he gets any game time at all, he may have to make the most of it.

Sadiq Umar - Almeria

In attack, Nigeria have a richness of options that means it will be difficult for new talent to break through, yet, Almeria striker Sadiq Umar was selected in the past, indicating that Rohr is keeping a close eye on his progress.

Strong with his back to goal, decent in the air and a smart finisher, it may be that the coach sees the 24-year-old as a legitimate alternative to Victor Osimhen, should Super Eagles need to call upon a physical target man for their cause.

There is a fear that the former AS Roma man has not truly been tested at the top level, but he offers a different kind of profile to the remaining striking corps of the national team.

The likes of Victor Osimhen, Kelechi Iheanacho, Terem Moffi are all more capable facing goal; Umar, on the other hand, is a more natural focal point, and is someone others can build from.

He has found the back of the net six times this season.

Should he continue at this rate, there can be little doubt that he will come into focus for transfer speculation, but also international honors.

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Ademetan Abayomi has always dreamt of being a sports journalist. His journey began 11 years ago when he created my first sports news page on Facebook, called "Futball Galore" and from there on his passion for sports journalism grew stronger. Now, he is a Sports News Reporter and Feature Writer where he strives to add value and learn as much as he can.

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