The Super Eagles will be back in action early next month as they begin their quest for a place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
On Tuesday, the Nigeria Football Federation released a 23-man squad to prosecute the fixtures against Benin and Rwanda.
There is a recall for Olisa Ndah, who last played for the team at the AFCON in Cameroon in 2022, while Moses Simon, Victor Osimhen, William Troost-Ekong and Ola Aina, who all missed the last batch of games due to injury, are back in the squad.
However, there are a few players who were expected to be named in the Super Eagles squad due to their brilliant start to the season but have now missed out in the latest call-up.
Five players missing from Super Eagles call-up
Cyriel Dessers
Unarguably the hottest Nigerian striker in Europe at the moment, Dessers has played many games as Rangers started the season earlier than others due to Champions League qualifiers.
He has scored three goals in the league, two in the Champions League, and one in the League Cup, racking up six goals in all competitions.
The 29-year-old’s goal ratio per appearance for the Super Eagles isn’t bad either; despite being in and out of squads, he has two goals in six games.
Surely he will feel that with his brilliant start to the season, a spot in the squad wouldn’t have been out of place.
Josh Maja
The striker scored a hat-trick in the first game of the season for West Bromwich Albion and has been in fine form since then.
In total, he has four goals from three games, but it is his general offensive play that has made him one of the best players in the English Championship so far this season.
This sent signals that maybe he would finally get to add to his solitary cap for the Super Eagles, but that didn’t happen.
Maja looks like he has found his groove and might sooner or later add to the only international cap he won: against Ukraine in an international friendly in 2019.
Kenneth Omeruo
The experienced defender is one of the oldest members of the squad, who continues to bring his experience to bear, but was not called up.
With Ahmed Musa’s apparent sabbatical, Omeruo was expected to bring his wealth of experience to the backline, but the selectors elected to go for youth, hence Olisa Ndah was called up to fill that spot.
An AFCON winner with Nigeria in 2013, Omeruo, 30, told Afrik-foot.com that he has no plans to retire yet from the Super Eagles and will continue to give his best if invited to the team.
Tolu Arokodare
Another striker who will be gutted to miss out on the team, as he has started the league in great form.
Arokodare has scored four goals in four games in the Belgian Super League and has been one of Genk’s shining lights this season.
Considering Paul Onuachu did not get a look in this time, it would have been a positive move to include the 6’4″ striker, who has the same physical attributes.
His presence, aerial ability, and physicality could have brought something different from the other strikers in the Super Eagles squad.
Igoh Ogbu
Touted as one of the brightest emerging young defenders from Nigeria, the Slavia Prague centre-back has continued to be ignored by the selectors.
A former Nigeria U20 defender, Ogbu is yet to be capped at senior level by Nigeria
He was in the provisional squad for the Super Eagles' World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho in 2023 but did not make the final cut.
He has been immense for his club side in the Czech top flight and in the UEFA Champions League as they will face French side Lille in the qualification rounds
