Quiet aribo draws loud praise from ex-nigeria boss and aussie hails tom
Rangers talisman Joe Aribo is an “adorable” asset for Nigeria, and can help lead them to Afr ican Cup of Nations glory.
That’s according to the man who handed the 25- year- old his international dream.
Aribo is a certainty to start for the Super Eagles in today’s Round of 16 clash in the Africa Cup Of Nations( ACON) against Tunisia, with Nigeria warm favourites to progress.
If they reach the semi-finals as expected, it would rule out Aribo for the Old Firm showdown against Celtic next month.
And his form in the tournament to date has been praised by ex- Nigeria boss, Gernot Rohr, who was axed by the African nation last month just before AFCON.
Rohr persuaded Aribo to represent Nigeria, and reckons the country are now reaping the benefits.
He said: “Joe is adorable and very polite.
“He listens, he is quite reserved and doesn’t talk a lot. But he can do it, if he has to.
“He is on form at exactly the right time for the tournament, and for Nigeria.
“He is a player who tends to stay in the shadows, but he is technically excellent, and can make the difference with his left foot.
“When I called him up for the first time, he scored a goal as soon as he came into the side.
“It was a friendly match in Ukraine after the last Africa Cup of Nations, when we were looking at new players.
“He played really well in that first match, and remained in the starting line-up from then on, as long as he was fit.
“Joe has had some injury problems, and he al s o contracted Covid.
“He is a box- to- box player, who gets forward from deep. He likes to beat his man and then go for goal.”
Meanwhile, Celtic midfielder Tom Rogic – who is also set to miss the February 2 Old Firm clash – has also been having praised heaped upon him.
Australia manager, Graham Arnold, believes the player is now in the form of his life because he’s very happy at Parkhead.
Rogic will star for the Socceroos next week in their crucial World Cup qualifiers against Vietnam and Oman in Melbourne and Muscat.
The midfielder has enjoyed a return to form this season under Australian countryman, Ange Postecoglou.
Arnold is banking on Rogic bringing his club form to the Qatar 2022 qualifiers, with the Socceroos still far from certain of making the Finals.
He said: “He’s been doing fantastically well with Celtic, and he’s very happy in his personal life, and happy overall.
“One of the tricks of being a great professional athlete or footballer is getting both lives – professional and personal – together.
“Tommy’s in great shape. He’s playing exceptionally well, and I do expect that he’ll bring that form and that flair with us into camp when he arrives.”