The U20 Africa Cup of Nations will take place from 18th February to 12th March, 2023 in Egypt and many people from participating countries are looking forward to the men’s junior showpiece
The top four teams will qualify for the FIFA U20 World Cup scheduled to place in Indonesia from 20th May to 11th June next year.
In the last 16 days, the Flying Eagles of Nigeria have been sweating it out at the FIFA Goal Project Pitch in Abuja.
So far, only home based players have been training under the watchful eyes of coach Ladan Bosso.
Below are six foreign based players who could help the team in Egypt.
6. Abel Ogwuche [Trelleborg]
Ogwuche is a symbol of the new direction Trelleborg has taken in Sweden. Developed by Tripple 44, Trelleborg invested heavily to make his move permanent this summer after the successful loan spell of the central defender.
His games is a lovely blend of calmness and aggression. He reads the game well and seems to have a good grasp of when to push wide or press up to extinguish dangerous attacks. The lad has good height at.
5. Ahmed Abdullahi [Jong KAA Gent]
Playing for Jong KAA Gent has done wonders for HB Academy product Ahmed Abdullahi, who has played four games this season.
The 19-year-old is looking like a machine in Belgium and undeniably earning himself some Jong minutes so far. Fast and energetic. Bosso doesn’t dull.
4. Lekan Oyedele [Feirense U19]
Oyedele is a very promising athlete – he moves around the pitch comfortably and has room to fill out, possessing dynamic changes of pace with a good burst off his back foot. He has good body control in general, agile and well-balanced in most situations, while he is fairly robust in contact and able to withstand challenges. The Remo Stars product is a left back.
3. Ereku Temitayo [Brooke House FA]
Hopes have been high for Ereku for a while now. The central defender plays for Brooke House FA in the United Kingdom.
The 19-year-old has been sensational and shouldn’t have any issue getting a shirt in the Flying Eagles squad.
2. Innocent Christian [Ankara Keçiörengücü U19]
If there is an in-form player capable of creating and scoring goals for the Flying Eagles at the AFCON, then that person is Innocent Christian.
The 18-year-old has an absolute hit since joining Ankara Keçiörengücü U19 at the summer. The attacking midfielder has scored four goals and provided three assists in eight appearances, quickly proving himself as one of the country’s most promising prospects in the midfield. He can play left back too.
1. Olubi Adams [FK Zalgiris Vilnius]
Of all the names on this list, Adams involvement in the 2023 U20 AFCON seems the most certain. He’s already a regular for Flying Eagles and is still going from strength to strength.
Attack is perhaps the strongest area in Bosso’s squad and the FK Zalgiris Vilnius youngster is one of the stand-out names.
Adam is a strong dribbler under pressure with impressive coordination between technical skill and athleticism. He has a good sense of his surroundings and is adept at freezing opponents with intelligent body movements to create time and space.