Finidi George Could Drop Premier League Star From Nigeria’s World Cup Qualifiers Squad

Finidi George Could Drop Premier League Star From Nigeria’s World Cup Qualifiers Squad

Chukwu Ikechukwu
updated at May 22, 2024 at 7:11 AM
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Frank Onyeka logo
F. Onyeka
Brentford logoMNigeria logo
Brentford logo
Brentford
England
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ENG Premier League
England
Nigeria logo
Nigeria
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Super Eagles
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FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)
Africa
  • Finidi George has reportedly made a late change to Nigeria’s squad
  • Brentford midfielder, Frank Onyeka, is reportedlt set to be dropped
  • Nigeria will face South Africa and Benin in the World Cup qualifiers

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Nigeria’s preparation for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying games against South Africa and Benin has been rocked by injuries, with Finidi George looking set to make more changes to his proposed squad.

The newly appointed Super Eagles coach has reportedly submitted a list of 35 players to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for both games, but injuries have drastically limited his options of available players.

Frank Onyeka, Super Eagles, Nigeria, CAF, AFCON, FIFA, Brentford, EPL
Frank Onyeka will reportedly be dropped from Nigeria's squad for June's World Cup qualifiers after battling with a late injury. Photo by Daniel Beloumou Olomo.
Source: Getty Images

According to Own Goal Nigeria, Finidi looks set to amend his list as Brentford's Frank Onyeka will reportedly be axed from the Super Eagles squad to take on Bafana Bafana and the Squirrels.

The Premier League midfielder missed the Bees' last two league games through injury, and it has been claimed that the NFF has already sent out an invite to his replacement in Nigeria squad.

Onyeka was one of Nigeria’s standout performers at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, featuring in almost all of the Super Eagles games as they secured a silver medal in the tournament.

Finidi urged to instilling discipline

Meanwhile, Peter Ijeh has urged newly appointed Super Eagles coach, Findi, to prioritise reshaping the national team’s character and development to be successful, Punch NG reports.

The former Nigeria national forward urged the 53-year-old tactician to build on values like discipline, respect, sportsmanship, integrity, and perseverance in the Super Eagles.

Finidi is currently preparing to lead the team officially when the Super Eagles host Bafana Bafana in a World Cup qualifier on June 7 in Uyo, before taking on Benin a few days later.

Finidi to axe 10 players from squad

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Finidi will reportedly drop 10 players from the Super Eagles squad to face South Africa and Benin in the World Cup qualifiers in June.

The 53-year-old was reported to have submitted a 35-man list to the NFF ahead of the game, with the list set to be trimmed to 25 players by the coach and the NFF.

Samuel Chukwueze, Bruno Onyemaechi, Moses Simon, Tyrone Ebuehi, and Zaidu Sanusi are currently injured and will most likely miss the World Cup qualifiers in June.

Authors
Chukwu Ikechukwu photo
Chukwu Ikechukwu
Chukwu Ikechukwu Godwin is a journalist with over 9 years of experience in the Nigerian media industry. He has worked both in Radio (Today FM, Rhythm FM, Wish FM) and Television (Silverbird TV) as a Sports Analyst..