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<\/a><\/p>\nDuro Ikhazuagbe<\/p>\n
29 November 2011<\/p>\n
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Former Eagles Head Coach, Christian Chukwu has thrown his weight behind Stephen Keshi to recall Yakubu Aiyegbeni from national team exile.<\/p>\n
Aiyegbeni, John Utaka and Sani Kaita were frozen out of the Nigerian senior national team after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Aiyegbeni was punished for his goal miss against South Korea while Kaita was equally ignored for his unnecessary red card offence in the same game.<\/p>\n
Immediate past handler of the Eagles, Samson Siasia, was not ready to incur the wrath of Nigerian ball fans and so kept away from the duo despite Aiyegbeni’s good form at Leicester City where he was playing on loan from Everton.<\/p>\n
Not even the Edo born player’s blazing start to the Premiership season for Blackburn Rovers impressed Siasia.<\/p>\n
But Keshi who assumed duties at the national team job just weeks back has already given signals to end the exile of both Aiyegbeni and Utaka.<\/p>\n
Speaking on a Lagos-based BrilaFM radio Monday, a member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Technical Committee, Chukwu said Keshi can go ahead to recall the players if he truly needs them to beef up his attack.<\/p>\n
“Keshi is the coach of the team. If he wants to call up Yakubu I don’t think that should generate any kind of debate because he feels Yakubu deserves to be part of the team to beef up his attack.<\/p>\n
“Apart from that, when you look at our players abroad Yakubu has done well this season and without sentiment any coach will give him the chance to play for the national team based on his current form. Right now he’s one of our best performing players,” observed the coach fondly called ‘Chairman’ in his playing days.<\/p>\n
On the rebuilding of the new Eagles, Chukwu insisted that it does not mean invitation of brand new players for the entire team. “Instead, you look at players that suit the kind of style you want to play and bring the kind of players that suit that style to the team<\/p>\n
“Every coach will come with his own approach, and you can’t fault them until when the results come,” he noted.<\/p>\n
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