Former Nigeria international Daniel Amokachi says the return of Odion Ighalo to the Super Eagles would not be a distraction to the young players in the team.
Head coach Gernot Rohr has made it clear he would love to have Ighalo back in the squad.
Also, NFF president Amaju Pinnick disclosed last week that he held talks with Ighalo on the possibility of a return after he retired from international football in 2019.
The former Watford and Manchester United striker has been in fine form in front of goal for Saudi Arabia top flight club Al Shabab.
And Amokachi, speaking in Monday’s edition of ‘The Bull’s Pit’ on Brila FM, said he doesn’t see his return as a problem for the young players.
“If I admire someone from far and I see that I can play with such a person to be part of my team. Rohr has said he needs Ighalo’s experience and believes that’s what the young players need.
“So for me Ighalo’s return shouldn’t be any distraction to the young players.”
Ighalo could be named in Rohr’s provisional squad ahead of this month’s 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Liberia and Cape Verde.
27 Comments
LOL…
What’s your take Dr Drey?
Somebody seems to be bored and missing Dr.Drey.
Are you scared of commenting further so that your foolishness as an impostor would not be exposed…?
Well said Amokachi. Since CAF has given additional slots to participating Nations, I’m also is seeing a win win situation for our young lads who are certain to learn from Odion and Nigerians at large.
Nigeria’s senior national football team Head Coach, Gernot Rohr, has admitted that Al Shabab of Saudi Arabia forward, Odion Ighalo, is back in the Super Eagles and has been listed for action in this month’s World Cup qualifiers. We take it from here.
Auto liking mode activated Ighalo Super fan.
It’s dislike mode that’s activated for your ilk. Next time simply read comments instead of making noise.
Ighalo is sure to deliver. Let’s wait till November 11th.
Supported. Odion Ighalo is a special player with lots of experience. This is a win win situation fir the young players and the Super Eagles as Osimhen and the other players will learn from him to the benefit of the team. God bless you Coach Rohr.
NFF, please do everything possible to make Ighalo available for Rohr. Even if he requested for Okocha please beg Okocha to come and play for Super Eagles again. I don’t want us to allow him give any excuse for failing to win this coming Afcon and reach at least quarter final in next year world cup.
That is exactly my point……There are many things happening underground in Nigerian Football and Rhor has learnt quickly…….Rhor is bringing back Ighalo to buy himself more time…….If SE does not win the Afcon,Rhor will not be sacked because that is the very condition he has given to NFF before he can invite Ighalo…….Rhor will sing his usual sOng of My young team and life goes on…….If you think NFF will sack Rhor for failing to win the Afcon then think again…….Rhor is a very intelligent man to have lasted this long as SE coach
Can you see that some of this ex international are confusionist
Trust Edo boys…them like to dey use people catch cruise!! Am sure he is reading all you guys comments and probably laffing..I always knew his hanging up of boot thing na pure cruise.I knew he was gonna come back immediately I read where he visited the young SE players at their training camp in Lagos before their game with Benin republic early this year(March) LMAO!!!!! But like I will always say just talents is never good enough cos they can win matches but experience can win you tournaments.. One love my people!
This is not the first time Nigeria is recalling a player from retirement or from prolonged absenteeism. In USA ’94, Mike Emenalo was recalled to our defence even when the latter was near perfect. We all watched Mike Emenalo in USA ’94. Did he disappoint or affect team spirit? In France ’98,Roger Miller was recalled to the team amidst strong criticism and he eventually happened to be the only Camerounian to score in that tournament. Let me stop at these 2 examples. We all saw how our strikers fluffed all ‘begging’ chances in recent friendly against Cameroun. So why the brouhaha about Ighalo’s recall?
How many chances did Ighalo himself fluffled during his time?……Ighalo missed a begging chance to volley SE into WC knockout stage against Argentina and later came to open his big mouth that people are threatening him and his family’s life……SMH
@Akp I feel like crying when I read the support Nigerians actually have in this I mean a corrupt President is basically running this team like it is his personal Toy. He says where our darling Super Eagles play even if it is in a field that resembles grass bang in the middle of a market and, No one Dares to oppose him or stand in his way. I mean he has been holding us Hostage with Musa for soooo long even if it is clear that Musa doesn’t even rank in the top 10 of the attackers we have, yet people can’t see. Now he is doing the same with Ighalo when it is clear that Ighalo is probably at No 5 or 6 of the No 9’s we have now.
what will be next, Can’t people see that God Blessed us with Upgrades on Ighalo I mean That game against Argentina was crying out for a player Like the one Osimhen is turning out to be. Even Iheanacho has 200% improved since that Tournament. I mean an easy Gauging factor is.
Let us Look at the Careers of both Iheanacho, Ighalo and Musa since 2018 World Cup who is doing better today in thier career’s.
Okay Let us look at the career’s of Osimhen and Ighalo since the Afcon 2019 Who is Progressing Today in their Club careers. How can we be allowing This to Happen?… Umu nnem Biko nu, don’t let this happen. I beg.
Akp or whatever you call yourself. I can see you know basically nothing about soccer for making such a statement! So Ighalo should be crucified for missing a clear chance against Argentina. Even Ronaldo and Messi occasionally miss clear scoring chances. Please keep quiet if you have nothing reasonable to say. Thanks
The brouhaha is because some people see Ighalo return as a treat to their favorite strikers.
As for me, what matters is who better deliver when the chip is down. Tournament football in my view requires loads of experience. I could go back down memory lane circa 1982 world Cup when The legendary Italian coach Enzo Benzort included a certain Paulo Rossi who was not originally in his squad lists. The rest was history. Cameroon did the same with Roger Milla. In fact, there are many instances of these phenomenon in the world of football. So me wonder why Nigeria is different. Let us give the coach the benefit of doubt after all success and failure stops at his table.
NoNSENSE!!!!!!!!!
are we still debating this. With all due respect what are they looking up to Ighalo for when most have already achieved more and surpassed the heights he did in his Clob career. If anything it is Ighalo who should be star struck with Osimhen because never before has a Nigerian No 9 caused as many Head lines as Osimhen is currently. Never before has a Nigerian attacker ever Been seen as the Best No9 in the World, with all due respect to our Legends but Osimhen today is giving Nigeria that.
Let us be Brutally honest here if Drogba was Nigerian And maybe Ighalo’s Age would we be debating this. the answer is No?? 100% of fans will say draft him in because, of what Drogba has achieved. Ighalo is not Drogba But, Osimhen is on Drogba’s Trajectory and mind you Drogba was a late Bloomer breaking our at the age of 27, Osimhen is doing this at 22yrs.
Put it this way Osimhen cannot be Idolising a player he is already out doing and has Way more ability than it is ubsurd. Again if we need experienced legs let us go for the player that will add value in the position we need strengthening it is only logic. Moreover a player of Osimhen Ilk can ill afford to have some retired player of a lower calibre than him coming back to deprive him of Valuable Experience that he needs to attain from international Matches.
I am not Suprised at Amokachi’s Logic after all he was the assistant coach to the late Steven Keshi when they were both collecting bribe up and dan to field yeye mediocre players. He is probably benefiting in some way from this nonsense rubbish he is talking
This is exactly why I said Ighalo’s come back smells of bribery all over it…..The striking department is the most loaded and star studded department in SE presently…….. Probably the most in Africa at the moment too but that is where they say we are weakest and we need Ighalo to bail us out…….Is it not funny??…..They used the CAR defeat to hasten it but failed to realize that the midfield was where the whole problem originated……..The midfield was practically absent in that match and it was basically defence to attack which made it easy for CAR to hold and hit us on a counter……..SE needs a creative midfield player urgently and Rhor even acknowledge it but Nobody is even talking about it…….I have been trying to wrap my head around this Ighalo return Logically but I could not even fine a single base……. Nigeria na cruise
You lied.
There is no striker there. Iheanacho is off and on, not a material for afcon. Osimhen is nursing injury and certainly a more fitted Odion has been invited. Onuachu is normally a fluke, sentiment aside. May be Awoniyi but still can’t do it alone. See why Nigerians are lucky Odion has accepted to bail the country out?
We Need Competition for places in that Team. Knowing Rohr in spite of Osimhen club form the Minute Ighalo set foot in that Camp. Osimhen will chop bench because according to that sluggish coach mentality ” Well Ighalo Was top scorer last time so he will do it again”. I mean is that not what he did in the Afcon??, In spite of Ighalo being caged in by Algeria he left Ighalo on the field whilst he had Osimhen on the bench the whole time. I mean any logical coach who had solid training sessions had did proper drills must have known Osimhen’s speed?? and should have known that Osimhen can beat any defence with that speed. But noooooo not Oga Rohr He left Ighalo on because he lacks sufficient Tactics.
Needless to say Osimhen went on to do this in his Lille debut only a month later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pubbq3Klhlw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQUAX2sIjyo
Do I have to buy mb to watch the nonsense pls?
Sorry boy, pls take heart. There is always a next time besides, this one don pass or split milk kind of.
As I mentioned yesterday, if a person is in the unfortunate situation of needing brain surgery, he doesn’t completely rule out older surgeons simply because he wants to give the young ones a chance to learn and grow! Learn and grow with your brain? With your life at stake? That would not be a wise move.
The best decision in this situation is to pick THE BEST SURGEON OR TEAM OF SURGEONS to work on your precious brain.
Ighalo’s invitation does not mean he will start games. It is likely he is there to play the role of super sub. The option of having an experienced striker who can read the game, and come in to swing it in our favour when the going gets tough.
If for example, Rohr invites Awoniyi, Iheanacho, Dessers, Sadiq and Ighalo (I’m assuming Osimhen is unavailable with his injury), that’s a good list to select from, in my opinion. A list that gives you varied options, and Ighalo’s experience is a nice boost to have.
No individual will present his head to a surgeon for brain surgery, when he is aware that the surgeon is not the best surgeon available!
A young surgeon can learn on the job with NON-HUMAN brains. When it’s time for serious business, when a life is at stake, only the best will do.
Our young strikers can learn from friendly matches and dead rubber games. A world cup qualifier is not the time for learning. That is time for serious business. Only your best should be in the squad, ready to deliver the goods.
ALL WE NEED IS OUR BEST, WHOEVER THEY MAY BE, WHEREVER THEY MAY PLAY THEIR FOOTBALL.
ONLY THE BEST WILL DO.
Sorry lad. Hopefully it isn’t too late.
Eyaa, doooor