Super Eagles interim coach Austin Eguavoen has defended his decision to exclude in-form strikers Tolu Arokodare and Cyriel Dessers from the squad for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, citing time constraints as the main factor.
Eguavoen sent tongues wagging after he invited Real Sociedad forward Umar Sadiq who last scored in March and Sevilla’s Kelechi Iheanacho for the games against Benin Republic and Rwanda, with many fans questioning the move.
Speaking in an interview with Abeokuta-based Eagle7fm Sports Radio, Eguavoen said he decided to pick the players he was already familiar with due to the limited time at his disposal.
“I have had to stick with the players I know,” Eguavoen told Eagle7fm Sports Radio. “It will be difficult to play those I have not worked with previously because of the short time to prepare for these matches. We have had only three, four days for these matches, so the time is not there to look closer at new players.”
Arokodare has scored eight goals and provided three assists in 14 games for K.R.C Genk, while Dessers has 10 goals and three assists in 20 matches for Glasgow Rangers. In contrast, Sadiq, who has struggled for form since recovering from a long-term injury, has only one assist in 8 appearances this season while Iheanacho has two goals in eight games since joining Sevilla in the summer.
Eguavoen acknowledged the importance of expanding the Super Eagles’ player pool but stressed that introducing new faces during critical qualifiers is challenging.
“Time is my biggest challenge because the calendar is so choked,” he explained. “I want to improve our large pool of players so that we could have capable replacements. We should be patient. When we have friendlies, we will try to bring some new players and work with them.”
The coach also urged fans to temper their expectations and allow the team more time to integrate emerging talents.
“I know Nigerians love this game so much, but sometimes we’re not patient,” he said.
