Former Nigeria international Emmanuel Amuneke has expressed delight after Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze made the final three-man shortlist for the 2019 CAF Youth Player of The Year award.
In the final shortlist that was unveiled on Sunday, Osimhen and Chukwueze made the final cut alongside Morocco and Borussia Dortmund’ s Achraf Hakimi.
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Reacting to the list, Amuneke who coached both players at the 2015 FIFA World Cup which they won, says it is a big progress for them.
“From 2017 to 2019 that’s how many years? So it’s a massive progression for them,” Amuneke said on Brila FM.
The 1994 African Player of The Year winner however urged the two players not to stop improving.
“We pray that they should continue to learn because they have to learn, they have to face many challenges. So we just need to see how to develop our players, it’s not just to be satisfied within just short period of time.
“Osimhen was at the World Cup (U-17) in 2015 and today he’s in the Super Eagles, same with Chukwueze. So we should see how we can be in the position to compete in the next World Cup which is in 2022 in Qatar together with other new players in the Nigerian league.”
Both Osimhen and Chukwueze was part of the Super Eagles squad that finished third at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Meanwhile, in other categories in the award, former Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo missed out in the final three-man shortlist for the men’s Player of the Year category.
Super Falcons striker Asisat Oshoala is in the running for the women’s award and will contend with South Africa’s Thembi Kgatlana and Njoya Ajara from Cameroon.
Former Super Falcons Coach Thomas Dennerby is in running for the women’s Coach of the Year and Nigeria also made the shortlist for the Women’s Team of the Year list.
