Super Eagles New Boy

As Super Eagles Manager, Gernot Rohr continues to tinker with the Nigeria national team to hone it into a formidable force in world football, soccer-loving Nigerians would be looking forward to how well the team’s newest kid-on-the-block, Samuel Chukwueze

When Super Eagles German Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr reeled out names of Super Eagles players that would prosecute the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier match against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa, there seem to be no surprises except that of 19-year-old Samuel Chukwueze, who is set to make his senior national team debut.

Speaking with THISDAY from his base in the United States, former Nigerian international, Paul Okoku said any addition into the national team was a welcome development.

“Forget that the team qualified for the last World Cup with ease, we all saw how it struggled when it came to the crunch. The Super Eagles is not yet a team, it’s just struggling to be one and any quality addition should be welcome.

“I have not watched Chukwueze play, but from what I have read and what the coaches (club and national team) are saying about him, I hope he can improve the national team-if not now, at least in the future, because he is still very young. The fact that he is invited to the national team for such a crucial encounter is enough morale booster for him even if he did not get to play,” Okoku said.

The 1988 Africa Cup of Nation silver medalist said this was the right time to start investing in young players that would take over from the old ones.

“After all, I made the national team at about the same age as Chukwueze and made the team almost immediately, though the plan of the coaches is that some of us (the young ones) would eventually take over from the aging ones,” he noted.

Therefore, if Chukwueze doesn’t get to play against the Bafana Bafana, bearing in mind that the coach would not be ready to take a gamble considering the importance of the game to Nigeria, the friendly game against the Cranes of Uganda is a good avenue for Rohr to unleash Chukwueze,” Okoku said.

Meanwhile, Chukwueze has expressed his surprise at the news of his invitation for Nigeria’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa, saying he was “very very surprised” when he received the news.

He, however, said much of it had been down to “hard work, discipline and determination. Especially determination, this had made the difference. It has been amazing and I want to keep improving so that I continue with the rise.”

Chukwueze recently received accolades from his Spanish club, Villarreal after an impressive performance in his first La Liga start. He started for the Yellow Submarines against Almeria in the Copa Dey Rey in a game that ended 3 – 3 and made his first start in the La Liga against Levante during the penultimate weekend with the Nigerian playing the entire duration of the game.

Chukwueze who scored his first senior team goal against Almeria and is looking to impose his quality on the first team with a series of eye-catching performances and Vilarreal through its official Twitter handle (Eng Villarreal) has heaped praise on the 19-year-old star. “Our Nigerian winger @chukwueze_8 impressed on his first start in @LaLigaEN! We’re sure it will be the first of many.”

However, Villarreal manager Javi Calleja has charged Chukwueze to continue working hard for a regular berth in the La Liga club’s squad.

Calleja named the former Golden Eaglets winger in the matchday squad for the Yellow Submarine’s UEFA Europa League match against Scottish giants Rangers on Thursday. Chukwueze then made his Villarreal debut by coming off the bench to replace Nicola Sansone.

Signed from Diamond Academy in the summer of 2017, Chukwueze played in Villarreal’s junior ranks the

last term but was promoted to the reserve team ahead of this season.

“We’re using nearly all of our players and I think that’s a good thing. We need the whole squad,” Calleja told Villarreal’s official website following their Europa League clash with Rangers.

“Today, for example, Samuel Chukwueze made his debut, who is a player with a great future, but he has to carry on working hard.”

The 19-year-old has, however, featured for the Yellow Submarine in the Europa League and marked his third appearance in the competition with an assist against Rapid Vienna last month.

Rohr is clearly impressed with what he has seen from the immensely talented left winger.

“Chukwueze has a good left foot, is quick, has a low centre of gravity - which gives him a very good balance - and can deliver and score,” the German coach told KweséESPN.

While the youngster may not feature against Bafana Bafana as the Super Eagles look to get over the line, he may well make his debut when the West African giants host Uganda in an international friendly few days later.

He’d become the next standout Golden Eaglets performer to make the step up to the senior side.

Title-winning teammates and indi- vidual award winners from the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup squad, Victor Osimhen and Kelechi Nwakali beat Chukwueze to making their international bow, with the former returning to the senior fold ahead of the Bafana game.

Chukwueze has had to fight back from a near career mishap to get to this stage.

Days after winning the Bronze Ball - on the strength of three goals and three assists - and helping Nigeria win a fifth U-17 world title, football agency Stellar Group signed Chukwueze and three other players from the Nigerian squad.

The deal ought to have seen the highly sought-after star, who models his game on Arjen Robben, sign for a top European club, as those before him had done.

Perhaps the only snag hindering a potential move abroad was his age, as the attacker 16, and would have to wait for two years before he could sign professional terms.

The teenager returned home while awaiting news from his agents about a potential career move, and kept busy by shuttling between training and playing for Diamond Academy and the Nigeria U-20s, who were involved in the qualification for the ill-fated 2017 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.

After celebrating his 17th birthday, he seemed poised to join Arsenal, alongside Nwakali, who signed a fiveyear contract with the Gunners.

However, Diamond Academy pulled the plug on the deal at the last minute, and Chukwueze began to slip out of the limelight, a situation made more challenging by his Golden Eaglets teammates of lesser profiles securing moves to Europe.

Undeterred by those series of disappointments, Chukwueze eventually packed his bags and journeyed to Spain, first joining Villarreal’s U-18 team, before being promoted to the B Team.

His superb performances with the Villarreal juniors have seen him regularly grab the headlines with his stunning pace, strength, skillset, goals and assists, and he’s edging closer to Calleja’s first-team.

Chukwueze’s emergence should come as positive news to Nigerian fans with the national side lacking a naturally left-footed winger since the untimely retirement of Emmanuel Amuneke, who coached the wonder kid in the Eagles’ U-17 and U-20 teams.

Despite his relative inexperience, Rohr has identified the starlet’s raw talent and has handed him an audition in a team which, for all its outstanding attacking players, lacks a natural left winger to create panic and havoc on opposition defences with direct running, effective crossing and superb technique.

Considering the number of quality and experienced competitors ahead of Chukwueze in the Super Eagles squad, he must realise that he’s way down the pecking order.

However, the U-20 World Cup in Poland next year could present him with a valuable opportunity to assert himself.

How well Chukwueze takes advantage the opportunity dangled at him will soon be confirmed.