Nigeria U-17 head coach, Eboboritse Uwejamomere has provided a positive update on the Golden Eaglets’ preparations for next week’s friendly tournament in China as well as the WAFU B U-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers slated for November.
Speaking with NFF Media, Uwejamomere disclosed that the team’s training camp opened last Tuesday, with the players already participating in several training sessions ahead of their first test matches.
“It’s been good. We opened camp last Tuesday, we’ve had a few training sessions, and obviously now first friendly game, just preparing for the China trip that’s gonna come up midweek next week,” he said.
The newly appointed coach expressed satisfaction with the quality of players in camp, noting that the majority were graduates of the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS) U-15 programme held last year.
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“I’m happy so far. Ninety-five per cent of the players are from the FIFA TDS U-15 scheme of last year. We’ve given them the privilege to come in for the first camp of the new U-17s. They’ve been in the U-15s so they’ve progressed now,” Uwejamomere explained.
The former Sporting Lagos Academy coach said the trip to China would provide an opportunity to further assess the players before trimming the squad ahead of future assignments.
“We have a look at them, they go to China, and then when we come back, the few that really impressed and we feel meet up will be invited back,” he added.
Beyond the China tournament, Uwejamomere stated that the coaching crew’s attention will quickly shift to the WAFU B U-17 AFCON qualifiers scheduled to take place in Burkina Faso in November.
“Apart from the China trip, there is the WAFU B U-17 AFCON qualifiers in November set to take place in Burkina Faso. Once we come back from China, the full focus is on that,” he said.
The coach further disclosed plans to expand the player pool ahead of the regional qualifiers, with another camping programme expected to begin later in the year.
“We’re planning to open camp in late July or early August, then we’ll start seeing some new players, including a few of the top-performing U-15 boys,” Uwejamomere concluded.
The Golden Eaglets will be hoping to build a strong squad through the upcoming China tournament as they intensify preparations for the crucial WAFU B qualifiers, which serves as the pathway to the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
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