Forget Ighalo, it’s Nwakaeme who deserves Nigeria recall

There’s been much excitement in the Nigerian media and among Super Eagles fans over the last 10 days at the prospect of Odion Ighalo returning to the national team.

The striker returned from international duty after winning the Golden Boot at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, and was able to ride away from a somewhat underwhelming Nigeria career on a high note.

Since then, however, his stock has climbed, with the attacker signing for Manchester United on loan in January, and then renewing his loan deal with the Red Devils to stay at the club until early 2021.

However, earlier this month, rumours of a return to the Super Eagles fold were fuelled when Ighalo told Brila FM that he was considering a comeback.

“I am still in contact with Gernot Rohr and Amaju Pinnick, and they congratulated me on my loan deal,” the former Watford man told the local station.

“I am still thinking about returning to the national team, but right now I want to concentrate on my club career.

“I left the national team because of the distance between Nigeria and China, but now that I am in Manchester and just like life and in my career, you never can tell.”

It’s easy to see why Ighalo’s potential return gets people excited, even though there are concerns about how his return may affect the squad’s young strikers.

Should Ighalo return, it would take gametime away from the likes of Victor Osimhen, Joseph Maja, Kelechi Iheanacho, Samuel Kalu, Cyriel Dessers, Emmanuel Dennis and David Okereke, and that may be to the detriment of their establishment as potential leading men for the West Africans.

However, while the excitement around Ighalo’s new contract at Old Trafford appears to overlook the fact that he hasn’t actually netted in four Premier League outings yet for the Red Devils, the thrill around his potential international return has taken attention away from the claims of another potential Nigeria frontman.

While Gernot Rohr has done much right in terms of his personnel decisions with the national side, the continuous overlooking of Anthony Nwakaeme remains questionable.

Certainly, the German coach has favoured youth over experience—apart from a few exempt names—and his lowering of the squad’s average age is something that is to his credit.

However, this policy has also led to the neglecting of some worthy names, of whom Nwakaeme is arguably the most notable.

He scored the first Super Lig goal since the resumption of competition following the coronavirus pandemic on Friday with a header as Trabzonspor defeated Goztepe 3-1.

It was his 11th goal of the campaign, putting him second highest African scorer in the Turkish top tier, and the joint fifth overall.

He’s also contributed sixth assists, and only two players in the division—Alexander Sorloth and Vedat Muiriqi—have had a direct hand in more goals than the Nigerian.

Considering the Turkish top flight is one of the world’s strongest outside Europe’s big five, his goal haul is an excellent return, particularly considering the fact that the vast majority of his goals have come from the left flank.

This versatility is another attribute that Rohr could—and should—be employing to Nigeria’s advantage.

It’s not like Rohr has never looked at him, and indeed, it was the veteran coach who handed the forward his international debut in 2017, during the controversial 1-1 draw with Algeria.

Despite scoring 20 over the subsequent two seasons—both in Israel and Turkey—Nwakaeme hasn’t been given any more playing time, but it would be an error for Rohr to completely write him off.

Nwakaeme’s experience—albeit not in the international arena—could also prove the squad with some balance in this department.

The squad have lost Victor Moses, John Obi Mikel and Ighalo in recent times, while Ogenyi Onazi, another experienced head, has also been culled by Rohr.

This leaves Ahmed Musa and Leon Balogun as the only two outfield regulars who are over 26, and this is an area that Nwakaeme’s calm head could also be valuable.

Finally, Rohr has constantly sought to identify an striking ‘Plan B’ for the Eagles, the kind of player who could be introduced late in games and give opposition defences something to think about.

He briefly considered the towering Simy Nwankwo for this role, but six footer Nwakaeme could also be an ideal option for the Eagles.

May Rohr regret overlooking any of these potential @NGSuperEagles for his preliminary @FIFAWorldCup squad?

Would’ve loved to have seen Onyekuru in there, and Ajayi can count himself unlucky.

Shame Lookman wasn’t approached as a potential wildcard…https://t.co/GLP6GH5mKQ pic.twitter.com/mccYqbKtaP

— Ed Dove (@EddyDove) May 17, 2018

His work rate and desire to constantly chase lost causes would represent a nightmare for opposition defences, while he’s also capable of carrying the ball effectively, and of getting the best out of those players around him.

How much would Nigeria’s young strikers benefit from having a link-man like Nwakaeme—with six Turkish top flight assists under his belt—alongside them to help create the chances they will need to take to settle at this level?

Now 31, time is, unfortunately, not on Nwakaeme’s side.

However, with Nigeria potentially set to play in two major tournaments over the coming two and a half years, Rohr may begin assessing which potential difference-makers, in form and playing at a high level, could step into the group and make an impact.

Nwakaeme’s strike against Gotzepe on Friday demonstrates that he ought to still be in the conversation.