Keshi Satisfied With Eagles’ Form; Recalls Players Ahead of AFCON Qualifier
Super Eagles’ coach, Stephen Keshi, has expressed his satisfaction with his players’ fitness form.
Several of the Eagles who were injured before and during the World Cup in Brazil, have now returned to pre-season action with their clubs ahead of next month’s pair of 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Super Eagles will host Rwanda in Calabar on September 6, then travel to South Africa on September 10 as they hope to qualify and defend their title in Morocco.
Ahead of the World Cup, Bright Dike, Leon Balogun and Elderson Echiejile were knocked out by injuries while Michael Babatunde and Ogenyi Onazi snagged major injuries while in Brazil.
They have all now returned to training and some have made appearances for their sides in pre-season.
“I am happy with the recovery rate of virtually all the boys,” Keshi said. “Leon Balogun is okay now, and he is training. Dike and Ogenyi Onazi have resumed training with their clubs, same as Babatunde and Elderson Echiejile. It gives me joy, because it gives us the opportunity for various options. I pray that everyone remains in good health.”
The 52-year-old, who is expected to sign a new contract with the Nigeria Football Federation to extend his stay as the Eagles’ coach this week, also said he has already spoken with the bulk of his team ahead of the qualifiers.
“All the players are ready for the qualifiers. I am very much in touch with them. I have called virtually all of them and they have all expressed their readiness to honour the invitation when the time comes,” he said.
“Our building process continues. In this new phase, we are now going to consolidate on whatever gains we had last time. The areas we had lapses, we are going to fortify them and be able to give Nigerians a very strong team that they can be proud of.”
