5 talents Flying Eagles will miss in Senegal

Flying Eagles open their campaign on March 8 against host Senegal. The other countries in Group A with Nigeria and Senegal are Congo-Brazzaville and Cote d’Ivoire. Kelechi IheanachoThis Manchester City youngster was clearly the star of the 2013 Golden Eaglets team that won for the fourth time the FIFA U-17 World Cup in United Arab […]

Flying Eagles open their campaign on March 8 against host Senegal. The other countries in Group A with Nigeria and Senegal are Congo-Brazzaville and Cote d’Ivoire.

Kelechi Iheanacho
This Manchester City youngster was clearly the star of the 2013 Golden Eaglets team that won for the fourth time the FIFA U-17 World Cup in United Arab Emirates.
He scored six goals in seven matches, winning the Silver Boot as the second highest goal scorer and the Golden Ball as the Best Player. Spotting the much reverend jersey number 10, Iheanacho dazzled the world and it was not any surprise that some of the top clubs in Europe courted his signature. However, after a little controversy, he signed for English giants, Manchester City.
Although he shone in City’s pre-season, where he scored twice, he has not been active due to injuries. Attempts to get him to play for the Flying Eagles in Senegal proved abortive as his club said he would not be available.
Even as Coach Manu Garba had said long ago that no player would be missed in Senegal, there is no denying the fact that the left footed wizkid would have added value to the attacking life of the Flying Eagles.

Chidibere Nwakali
Another member of the victorious 2013 Golden Eaglets, Chidibere Nwakali was also signed by Manchester City along with Iheanacho. Unlike his compatriot, he was not picked for City’s pre-season friendly due to injury.
Nwakali, who has not been part of the Flying Eagles build up to this year’s African Youth Championship because of a knee injury, featured for the Manchester side’s youth setup.
He had been with KV Mechelen on loan and was recently loaned to La Liga side, Malaga where he is expected to play till 2017.
The attacking midfielder was one of the players that were tipped to bring quality to the Flying Eagles midfield in Senegal.

Isaac Success
After a spectacular performance at the 2013 Africa U-17 Championship, Isaac Success, the Udinese attacker who has been loaned to Granada in the Spanish La Liga carried the hopes of the Golden Eaglets going into the World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
Unfortunately, after a brilliant performance in the opening match of the World Cup, he picked up a hamstring injury in the second match. He was replaced by Taiwo Awoniyi who went on to become one of the revelations in the championship.
Although he is not injured, Success is not part of the Flying Eagles squad because his club did not release him for the AYC. Without any doubt, the Flying Eagles will miss this player who has a knack for scoring goals.

Musa Yahaya
The Tottenham Hotspur all action youngster was one of those who propelled the Golden Eaglets to victory at the 2013 FIFA World Cup. His brilliant performance earned him a deal with the English Premier League side.
Although a key member of the present Flying Eagles squad, Yahaya is missing the Africa Youth Championship party due to the knee injury he picked when playing against the Black Satellites in the second of the two friendly matches played recently between Nigeria and Ghana.
His injury is certainly a major blow to the Flying Eagles because his understanding upfront with Taiwo Awoniyi, Akinjade Idowu and Bernard Bulbwa makes the team’s attack very deadly.

Wilfred Ndidi
If not for MRI, this dependable defender would have been a world champion. He was a key member of the 2013 Golden Eaglets but missed out on both the Africa championship and the World Cup in UAE because he did not pass the MRI test.
However, he was later selected to play for Nigeria at the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey and that was where the world got to watch his top quality.  Although the youngest member of the team, he marshalled the team’s defence and proved too strong to be out muscled by bigger attackers.
Naturally, Coach Manu Garba offered him another opportunity to play for the U-20 team and he proved to be a useful addition to the team during the qualifiers. Often times, he acted as team captain in the absence of Musa Muhammed.
Ndidi who currently plays for Genk in Belgium is not part of the Flying Eagles squad to Senegal because he is highly needed by his club.