Super Eagles star Osas Okoro has declared that the current set of home-based professionals jostling for places at the National team camp in Kano are the best he has ever played with for the national team.
Okoro has been a regular invitee for the home-based Super Eagles since 2009 and was a rare shinning light in the team that exited the 2016 African Nations Championships at the group stage in Rwanda.
The Super Eagles B played a 1-1 draw with a Kano XI on Tuesday with the Rangers International winger scoring the team’s only goal in the friendly. The Eagles were on the verge of losing before Okoro’s intervention from a well taken free kick in stoppage time. He told www.aclsports.com after the game that the team cannot be judged based on the test game.
“It wasn’t a bad game. A selected side, yes but most of them to play in the Nigeria Professional Football League as well,” said Okoro.
“A friendly game is not for anyone to start judging the way we play. You play friendly games to know your loopholes and I believe that is what that happened. You can see we made lots of changes during the game too so that everybody can play.”
Born into a footballing family, Osas, elder brother of 2009 FIFA Under-17 Championships star Stanley, was in the Nigerian side that featured at the 2009 WAFU tournament and the CHAN Eagles side that failed to qualify for the inaugural African Nations Championships in Coted’voire.
“I believe we have all it takes to qualify. Why I’m saying that is because the calibre of players we have in camp at this period are very very good. I think this is the best squad I have ever played with since playing for the national teams,”said the former Heartland star.
Okoro and his Nigerian teammates will make a short trip from Lagos to Cotonou this weekend for the first leg of their final round qualifier against the Squirrels of Benin Republic.
The Super Eagles have been training in the Northern Nigerian city of Kano and will be without striker Sunday Adetunji who has been ruled out for eight weeks due to a fracture of the arm.
