Stoke City assistant manager Paul Hart says the club wish their Nigerian midfielder Peter Oghenekaro Etebo luck as the Potters’ star prepares to undertake an Africa Cup of Nations semifinal assignment this weekend, Completesports.com reports.
The dynamic midfielder has yet to link up with his Stoke City teammates for pre-season training due to Nigeria’s success run in Egypt, which has seen them advance to the semifinals of the competition.
Assistant boss Hart admits Nathan Jones would love to have the 23-year-old back at base, preparing for the new campaign, but acknowledges that while he is away representing his country, everybody in the camp are wishing him success with the Super Eagles.
“It’s a double-edged sword really, because we are incredibly proud of him (Etebo) and what he is achieving, but it would be great to have him back,” Hart told Stoke City’s official website.
“These are some of the challenges that you have in football though – you just have to deal with it, which is what we will do.
“We are so pleased for Peter though, he is a great lad and he will be back as soon as he possibly can.”
He added: “We will most definitely be looking after him and managing him correctly when he does come back.”
Etebo starred for the Super Eagles in their quarterfinal triumph over South Africa on Wednesday, and is once again expected to start when the Super Eagles take on Algeria on Sunday, bidding for a spot in the final.
