Iheanacho, Success in, as Garba begins final preparatory camp

Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho and Grenada of Spain’s Isaac Success, who have not featured for the national Under-20 team since they began the quest for success at the international stage, are among the 35 players Coach Manu Garba have invited for final preparations for the New Zealand 2015 FIFA Junior World Cup.

Iheanacho and Success were prominent in Nigeria’s successful campaign at the UAE 2013 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, where the Manchester City-based Iheanacho was named the most valuable player.

But since the bulk of that team graduated to the Under-20 side, both players have not featured prominently in their campaigns owing to club restrictions.

The list of players named by Garba yesterday from which the final 21-man team will emerge, is dominated by the players, who won the African Youth Championship (AYC) in Senegal last month.

Among the players are six from teams in the Nigeria Premier League, while the rest are either with youth teams of top clubs in Europe or with lower league or academy outfits. The list has four goalkeepers, 10 defenders, 10 midfielders and 11 strikers.

They include defender and captain, Musa Muhammed, goalkeeper Joshua Enaholo, defenders Zaharaddeen Bello, Mustapha Abdullahi and Prince Omego.

Others are midfielders Akinjide Idowu, Abdullahi Alfa, Bernard Bulbwa and Ifeanyi Mathew, with forwards, Taiwo Awoniyi, Chidera Ezeh and Alhassan “Muazzam’ Abdullahi.

The players in them list from Nigeria’s glorious run at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in United Arab Emirates in 2013 are Kelechi Iheanacho, Success Isaac, Wilfred Ndidi, Chidiebere Nwakali and Musa Yahaya, who did not feature in Senegal.

It also includes Super Eagles’ new boys, Kingsley Sokari and Moses Simon. All 35 players are expected to report at the Serob Legacy Hotel, Abuja on Sunday for the first phase of the preparations.