I honestly can’t understand why 21-year-old Nasarawa United striker Anas Yusuf was left out of the preliminary AFCON squad.
Even if he wasn’t going to make the final 28-man list, he deserved at least a place in the provisional squad especially when five NPFL players were included.
Leaving out the league’s most in-form striker just doesn’t sit right.
This is a player who is currently the NPFL’s top scorer with 6 goals this season. last season, he didn’t just win the NPFL Golden Boot with 18 league goals, he finished with 24 goals and 3 assists in 47 appearances across all competitions.
He was part of the CHAN Eagles but he barely got minutes, that wasn’t because he wasn’t good enough. It was mainly due to the influence of Coach Daniel Ogunmodede and Coach Fidelis Ilechukwu, who pushed heavily for Remo Stars and Enugu Rangers players. and yet, the moment Anas Yusuf finally got a proper chance, he delivered, scoring one of Nigeria’s only two goals in the entire tournament against Congo Republic. that tells you everything about his efficiency.
I know many Nigerians have lost confidence in NPFL players getting national team call-ups because of the poor CHAN performance earlier this year. But let’s be honest: poor coaching decisions and internal politics played a bigger role than the players themselves.
There are still real talents in the league, players who deserve recognition, encouragement, and opportunities.
I know they can’t select all the players, But if you’re calling NPFL players to the Super Eagles, Anas Yusuf should be the first name on that list.
He’s consistent, he’s hungry, and he’s delivering season after season. you can’t ignore a striker who finished last season as the league’s top scorer and is already leading the goal chart again.
Even if he wasn’t going to make the final AFCON squad, at least include him in the preliminary list to acknowledge his hard work and reward his performance.
We need to start appreciating players who genuinely put in the effort. people don’t understand the level of politics in the Super Eagles, and that’s part of why some players no longer give their all, they feel overlooked, no matter how well they perform.
Source:Lovinghananews.com
