New Zealand 2015: Garba Invites Muhammed, Awoniyi, Others to Camp
Head Coach of the U-20 national team, Manu Garba (OON) has released a list of 35 players from which a final list of 21 will emerge to represent Nigeria at this year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup finals in New Zealand.
The list, predictably, includes the new champions of Africa – those who flew the country’s flag to win a seventh African Youth Championship in Senegal last month.
A half-dozen of the players feature for Nigeria Premier League clubs – the rest are either with youth teams of top clubs in Europe or with lower league or academy outfits.
Energetic defender and skipper, Musa Muhammed, tops the list that has four goalkeepers, 10 defenders, 10 midfielders and 11 strikers.
There are also goalkeeper Joshua Enaholo; defenders’ Zaharaddeen Bello, Mustapha Abdullahi and Prince Omego; midfielders AkinjideIdowu, Abdullahi Alfa, Bernard Bulbwa and Ifeanyi Mathew and forwards TaiwoAwoniyi, ChideraEzeh and Alhassan “Muazzam’ Abdullahi.
Top performers in Nigeria’s glorious run at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in United Arab Emirates in 2013, Kelechi Iheanacho, Success Isaac, Wilfred Ndidi, ChidiebereNwakali and Musa Yahaya, who did not feature in Senegal, are called, as well as Super Eagles’ new boys, Kingsley Sokari and Moses Simon.
All 35 players are expected to report at the Serob Legacy Hotel, Abuja on Sunday, April 12, for the first phase of the preparations.