Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr is eager to have forward Odion Ighalo back in the team, Completesports.com reports.
Ighalo quit the Super Eagles after helping the team pick bronze medal at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nation in Egypt.
The striker emerged top scorer at the competition with five goals.
Rohr has frequently expressed his desire to have the former Manchester United player back in the team and president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick recently shared the same sentiment.
“We miss his leadership, we miss his experience and we miss his goals,” Rohr told Elegbete TV.
“He was the top scorer at the 2019 AFCON qualifiers and also the AFCON itself.
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“That’s why I included him on our provisional squad.
“(Victor) Osimhen is our No 1 striker, but there is none like Ighalo, he’s different, he’s a special player, he smells football.
“We have many young players who could learn a lot playing alongside such a great player.
“He also has the ambition to help his country.
“He could also help us much more.”
The Super Eagles will face Liberia and Cape Verde in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers next month.
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COMMENTS
This man is so archaic
With the avalanche of quality strikers u have at your disposal, it’s Ighalo you’re craving for because of experience.. Very laughable
I’m short Rohr is laughable like Pinnick. They think they can take the jersey from Iheanacho and give Odion Ighalo. Nacho plays full 90 minutes everytime in Leicester and even won assist which they scored. I don’t know what Rohr and Pinnick are thinking self, they said Odion Ighalo is experienced, experience my foot. We will not keep quite otherwise these people will take jersey no8 and bench Iheanacho in afcon.
This is unbelievable, are we moving forward or backward?
If we consider what Osimhem as well as Awoyini are doing in Seria A and Bundesliga1 respectively, then there is actually no need to invite Igaho back from his wilderness in saudi Arabia. Granted he has been scoring consistently over there but u have to consider the quality of teams against whom he is scoring. To be candid , I rate Spanish secunda2 far above the best league in saudi. So instead of Igaho why not invite Sadiq Umar.Igaho’s quality won’t be missed as far as Osihmen, Iwoyini ,Terim Morphuy , and Sadiq Umar keep doing what they are doing presently in very leagues. The only player whose quality I know SE is missing is Victor Moses.I don’t mind going on bended knees to plead with him to pls shield his sword and rescind his resignation. Granted we have wingers but to be honest none is consistent and willing to work hard to step up to VM level . His tenacity, gut ,Swagger and vision could be the spark SE need to win the next AFCON and also do well in the next world cup. NFF pls go for VN leave Igaho alone we have players better than him or do u Wana tell me that Igaho will make Napoli’s or Union Berni’s bench much less break into the starting 11
I think Ighalo is a more expierence at international level
A striker is a striker inrespective of the leaugue.
Yekeni used to be a top striker in Afcon playing for inferirior
I am one man who supports the the return of Ighalo.he will be better striker than those school boys you are mentioning.
Osimhem.has not be tested id a round robin tournement si nigerian should not rely on him.
Iheanacho is a striker but lacks the the kind og strength ighalo has and African football is very physical an ighal has the streght fir african football.
Birds of the same feather that is why your wastefulness has never won us Gold. Rubbish Coach and player!
The highest goal scorer in the last afcon qualifiers and acfon itself is the one you are calling rubbish. If osimhen and awoniyi didn’t waste their golden chances, do you think CAR would have beaten us last month???? You are the one that is a hopeless and rubbish human being bcs you always fail to make good use of your head. Go and hang yourself nah if he eventually returns officially…Chima Ewu Samuels…..
Are you also human?
Talent can win you matches, but experience can win you tournaments. Good morning my people. Love you all.
The level of ball in Saudi Arabia is very low and come World Cup he will only realise it when he comes up against high quality opponents playing at the highest level especially in the knockouts if God willing we make it. Osimhen is way higher than Ighalo level now. Put it This way, the reason Ighalo is not at United is because he was surplus to Requirements where as Bayern Munich want to pay 100mil for Osimhen , thats the current difference in calibre between the two . Coupled with the fact that as high as the gap between the two is now. It will only widen as Osimhen is Young and will keep improving where as Ighalo is already regressing and will be slower now than he already was. Guy Algeria contained Ighalo very easily in the semi’s and we were already questioning Rohr for not using Osimhen in that game , and Ighalo retired swiftly after the tournament, that was 2 years ago. What are we talking of Ighalo for again.
Saudi Arabia is a league we’re players go for Money and to retire and is even lower than MLS. Do you understand the gap in the level of the Big 5 leagues in Europe compared to Saudi Arabia?. Maybe you guys supporting this should be asking yourself why Saudi Arabia always get a 8-0 walloping in the World cup.
Victor Moses is the player Nigeria should be pushing for not Ighalo history shows that Moses was more of a threat than Ighalo in a SE shirt, plus Moses is still playing at the highest level while Ighalo is NOT!!
Are we saying that someone hasn’t got the right to resign? Who drove him away? Why should Oga Rohr list an unavailable player in his provisional list? This just shows their confusion.
Instead of building the morale of the players we currently have to gel into an unstoppable team, NFF has started a fire in the midst of the field, and expectedly it will snowball into a conflagration that will scare away the talents we have.
. . . and the history books will be rewritten, entering their names in black charcoal. People will wonder how we lost the plot.
Oakfield and drey what do you have to say?
Please as we are looking up to the stickers for goals let’s focus on other departments too. Hence I call for immediate integration of Akinkunmi Amoo in the team asap. He is just one year older than Ansu fati of Barcelona who is also a key member of the Spanish national team. So he is not young at all. The earlier the better for his confidence level. Meanwhile He can play as a right winger or as an attacking midfielder with good eye for goals. In the absence of Iwobi and Chukwueze respectively.
I totally do not support this move. It is wrong to recall Ighalo to this team. It just shows that he doesn’t believe in Osimhen and his other team mates to perform. That is why he keeps inviting Ahmed Musa to that team. If he is looking for a leader in his current squad, then you look at the likes of Troost Along who has been made Captain at Watford FC or Ndidi at Leicester FC. Not Ighalo. Not everyone will make the right decisions most times. But the catch is to reduce errors up front when scoring goals and that is where the quality of the coach comes in. Give advice to your attacking players on how best to perform upfront. Not destabilise their morale by inviting a retired player. The only player to be recalled now is Victor Moses, because he has shown that he is still a quality player even after leaving Chrelseafc and retiring from SE.
https://www.pulse.ng/sports/football/statistics-show-super-eagles-not-missing-odion-ighalo/7eekdzq
Really Rohr???????????????? Really??????????
I think Rohr is proving age has finaaly caught up to him. He needs to be replaced. He is not thinking straight instead of him talking up How he plans on reaching out to Moses. He is pushing for the retired player who we don’t need. Wow I am amazed at this really speechless. This is really sad.
Believe me Ighalo is the one pushing this agenda……..He is just forming not to make it look as if he is begging Nigeria……..He has used money to seal some lips……They are just using Moses to sweeten the whole plot and thank God Moses has already distance himself from it quickly while the main orchestrator Ighalo is still dancing the dance…… Ighalo wants to use SE to Sign one more lucrative contract before his time runs out……Ighalo has always been eyeing the world cup and Afcon to raise his bargaining chip when his next contract will be signed……Rhor knows that Ighalo lacks the quality to compete among top5 league players which he will most likely come up against at world cup and Afcon…….Rhor has already been assured that even if he doesn’t win the Afcon his job will still be intact hence he can dance along with them…….when we get knocked out he will sing the usual sOng titled “I have a young team” and everything goes on……. Nigeria na cruise last last
@Akp God bless you bros!, this is the truth. You have basically Said it all. Exactly the way it is happening behind the scenes.
Nigeria is a cursed nation I mean it. a nation that cannot say God does not bless with talent including talented criminals, curroupt people in position of Power. Like I said months agao. NIGERIA ALWAYS SHOOTS HERSELF IN THE FOOT COME WORLD CUP. Gbam!!! this is how they always do it.
God has a way of shaming people just watch as see. ….Ighalo will miss a very clear and painful goal that would have written SE Name in history for ages…….A century from now people will still be talking about the miss……. people will start looking at the whole plot that brought Ighalo back again…….Jobs will be lost and positions will be questioned…….. Nigerians will curse Ighalo and his family for a long time…….Ighalo’s life will come under threat and His family’s too…..This I have seen.
Says who prophet of doom. Your doom can never come to pass. Donno why Una put this Ighalo matter for head. Abeg make una calm down the guy is not even in the team yet and if he eventually does it’s all for good let’s be positive and trust in the coach decisions it is a joker that could turn out to be one of the best decision ever.
When you think you have witnessed the worst from this cheap and technically deficient guy, he comes up with another dumb action.
Please go ahead and invite Ighalo, at least the whole world is aware of your new contract. Win the next ANC or you loose your job.Hyping Ighslo as if we don’t know who he is.. A player that has won nothing for Nigeria. Osi, Awo, Nacho have nothing to learn from Ighslo but they have a lot to teach him about Winning African and global competition, Perhaps these guys are playing in bigger teams and top 5 leagues,
Why are you not talking about VM. This is a guy whose impressive display against top teams won us our last ANC. Here is a guy who has played for top teams in England, Italy and now doing the same in Russia. Here is a guy that has played and still active in European top competition. Is it because he is not a Picnic person or because he is a well disciplined guy who you and Picnic dare mess with.
Mr. Roar stop this bull.. Return the bribe and release your list for next matches. I’m hoping Dennis and Amoo are on the list.
Larry: You said it all. Don’t mind Rohr as if he doesn’t know Rogers plays Iheanacho regularly for 90 minutes in Leicester, meaning he is very good and can even assist scorers too. A young lad scoring goals cannot be compared to an Old player scheming to wear jersey no8. They said Odion Ighalo is experienced, experience my foot. Iheanacho must be at afcon.
If it were to be a white man saying this, you would rush to call him a racist. Stop being a racist, tribalist and what have you. Ighalo is good and has the experience to do well in the nation’s cup.
No one is saying Iheanacho if he is fit shouldn’t go to the nation’s cup but Ighalo’s presence would provide that fatherly figure to guide coach Rohr’s charges to success. Nigeria has an opportunity to add more players to her fold, and Ighalo coming with experience is a wonderful addition.
Deputy Right winger and Attacking midfielder should be the focus presently not striker at all.
Thank you Ayo, that is their zoo thinking. Animas. Mid fielders like Ejuke and not jersey no8. Iheanacho can play that and has done very well. Let us try him
Lolz!!! In one breath Ighalo is a special player and in another, he is experienced, guys what is the argument? Or do you know more than the coach? By the way, CS let’s hear from Coach Yusuf because he has been around.