One of the players who will be jostling to find a home under a future Super Eagles coach is Scandinavia bases attacker Akinwunmi Amoo.
The pint-sized former youth international recently apologized for Nigeria's world cup ouster and vowed that the Super Eagles will bounce back stronger.
But does he have a realistic starting 11 future with the senior national team?
For Amoo it is a tricky one.
Options are actually very competitive in international football for a player of his mould. Playing as a center forward or support striker is out of the question for him when it comes to some national team coaches.
The flanks will always be saturated with exciting options and deep center midfield and defensive midfield are a no go area.
Perhaps a coach with an attacking midfield philosophy will be more inclined to look Amoo’s way and there are many of them out there. But, if he is able to wrest the right flank off present and emerging options, then the road to a stable stay in the national team will be available.
But all these are just conjectures. The young man has huge potentials ahead of him in international football. Regular playing time in club football should always bring him in the conversation. If he gets invited for this year’s 2023 Afcon qualifiers and he impresses the new coach, he might yet be a main stay.
But I still worry that fierce competition for places might drown him out.
I guess all he needs to do is show versatility. But even at that it will boil down to the tactical underpinnings that govern that coach’s approach.
It will be fascinating to see what the likes of Amoo and others will do in the coming recovery and restoration phase of the Super Eagles' evolution in the coming months leading to next summer’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Copyright Notice: unauthorized use of this material is strictly prohibited
Comments