Chukwueze has impressed me since Okocha, Says Esin

Former Eagles International, Etim Esin, has tipped Super Eagles’ winger, Samuel Chukwueze, to be the next star for Nigeria, as the country takes on Algeria in one of today’s semifinal games of the Total Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON), slated for the Cairo International Stadium in Egypt.

The Eagles defeated the Bafana Bafana of South Africa 2-1 to book a semi final berth in today’s epic clash against the old foe, the Foxes of Algeria, who also beat the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire 4-3 on penalties, after the match had ended 1-1 in regulation time to come thus far.

Esin, who described Chukwueze, as a new player has excited him greatly in the Eagles’ team after the exploit of former captain, Austin Okocha for the senior national team, stated that the Spanish La Liga Villarreal CF midfielder is definitely destined for greatness.

“The Eagles have impressed me so much, especially with the feat of Samuel Chukwueze. Nobody has entertained me so much after the great J.J. Okocha in recent time; this has truly established himself. The confidence he has shown, particularly when he takes on the defenders has been decent.

“The Eagles are gradually returning to the team we are used to in terms of confidence we always expect from them. And you can see also that the team spirit lacking during their group stage matches has now returned into the team,” he said, adding that the rancor, that characterised the team at the beginning of the tournament has now faded.

“Now we can see that there is no more drama in the team again. Every player now plays for one another and we can see that defenders now score. You ask yourself when last did you see a defender scoring for the Eagles? This is a big plus for the squad,” he said.

The former Eagles’ midfield maestro said the rotation of players in the team in matches played so far, showed a lot depth in the Eagles.

“Though, no coach changes the winning team, but what I have seen in the Eagles so far, shows a lot of depth in the team and that is why you have 22 players for the coach to make his selection. From what I have watched, these boys played in the last two games, I pray that when they get to the final, they will win this cup,” he stated.