Rohr praises home-based Super Eagles players, explains why Musa played against Lesotho

SUPER Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has expressed satisfaction with the performance and conduct of the home-based players in his squad for the recent Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin Republic and Lesotho.

The coach included three players from the Nigeria Professional Football League in his 24-man squad for the fixtures: Enyimba pair of goalkeeper John Noble and winger Anayo Iwuala as well as Sunshine Stars defender Adekunle Adeleke.

Iwuala was a substitute in both games and showed flashes of brilliance, but Noble and Adeleke were unused substitutes.

“Anayo is a good player and he showed it in the two games he played,” Rohr said.

“In his first game against Benin, a lot of people were surprised by his performance. Noble and Adeleke also did very well and gave a good impression in training.” 

Rohr then clarified Ahmed Musa’s involvement after the German had said initially that the unattached captain would  play no part in any of the matches.

Musa, who has not played active club football since leaving Saudi Arabia’s Al Nasr last October, was a late substitute in the 3-0 win over Lesotho in Lagos on Tuesday.

“Musa played because we had a situation with our players in Lagos,” Rohr explained.

“We were left with only a few options in the attack. Musa was fit, he was in good shape and there was no reason not to allow him to play. He is still the captain of the team.” 

The Super Eagles will know their group stage opponents when the draw for next year’s AFCON is held on 25 June. The tournament is scheduled for January 2022 in Cameroon.