‘Fisayo can play as a winger but he’s a midfielder’ – Peseiro on bolstering Super Eagles midfield options :: All Nigeria Soccer

Nigeria manager Jose Peseiro faced the cameras on Thursday, on the eve of his side’s international friendly against Saudi Arabia, and one of the questions he was asked was what he was doing to strengthen his midfield. 

The Super Eagles are blessed with strikers who are doing well at their respective clubs – the likes of Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, Kelechi Iheanacho and Terem Moffi.

Peseiro is also spoit for choice in the defensive positions, so much so that William Troost-Ekong, Chidozie Awaziem, Tyronne Ebuehi, Kevin Akpoguma and Zaidu Sanusi were not named in the initial squad for the October internationals.

However, when it comes to the midfield positions, Peseiro’s options are limited and it’s no secret that Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho is sometimes listed as a midfielder on the Super Eagles rosters just to make up the numbers in the middle of the park.

The Portuguese coach revealed that he has plans to bolster the midfield and underlined that he cannot make too many changes to the team before the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers. 

Peseiro has handed a first time call up to Manchester City academy product Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and another young exciting midfielder in Club Brugge’s Raphael Onyedika was named to the roster for the October internationals. 

“I called six midfielders. Fisayo is a midfielder, can play as a winger also but he’s a midfielder. We have good midfield players, I try to call young players like Onyedika and Fisayo; Aribo, Iwobi, Onyeka, Ndidi but at the same time I called the normal players with quality,” Peseiro told reporters. 

“Onyedika this is the third time he has come with us. He entered into the game in the last match and now Fisayo came.

“Other players didn’t come until now with us but the players need to understand, to prepare for the AFCON and World Cup qualifiers we cannot change the squad too much because you need time to work. 

“If I change every time, time will be lost for training with the players I think can win the AFCON.

“This moment, the main point is the match against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique, and the key point is the matches against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.”

Onyedika and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru will be aiming to make their starting debuts for the Super Eagles within the next three days. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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