Rohr provides hints about the four strikers he intends to take to the Nations Cup this summer

SUPER Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr has hinted on the four strikers he intends taking to the 32nd African Cup of Nations starting in June in Egypt saying that the two recent matches the team played enabled him to determine those best suited for the job.

Last Friday, the Eagles beat Seychelles 3-1 in their final African Nations Cup at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba and then on Tuesday defeated Egypt 1-0 in a friendly match at the same venue. After the two games, Mr Rohr said he now knows the 23 players he will be taking to Egypt and is not looking to invite any fresh faces to camp to compete for shirts ahead of the tournament.

Going a step further yesterday, Mr Rohr hinted that Odion Ighalo, Paul Onuachu, Victor Osimhen and Kelechi Iheanacho will be the four strikers he takes to Egypt 2019. This tends to indicate that he may opt for a 3-5-2 formation and it leaves in question the role of wide forwards like Ahmed Musa, Henry Onyekuru, Simon Moses and  possibly Victor Moses.

Egypt 2019 , the first African nations Cup that will feature 24 teams in total, will begin on June 21 with the final set for July 19. Nigeria is one of the favourites to win the tournament along with hosts Egypt, Morocco and Senegal.

Mr Rohr said: "On strikers, we are very happy with what Osimhen did against Libya. He was supposed to play with us against Egypt on Tuesday, to come in at least but he played on Monday against Libya so he was not in the game.

”For Ighalo, his ankle is getting better and he was ready to help at the end of the match against Egypt. Also, we have Paul Onuachu, meaning we now have three good strikers, as we have Kelechi with a left foot."

Meanwhile, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has rewarded the Eagles for their victories with the sum of $10,000 to Mr Rohr and another $50,000 to the team. Last year, he rewarded the team following their qualification for the Nations Cup with the 1-1 draw against South Africa in Johannesburg in November 2018, which they followed up with a friendly against Uganda in Asaba three days later.

Captain Ahmed Musa, who also received rave reviews for promptly fulfilling his promise of N1m-a-goal to the Olympic Eagles by sending the team N4m on Monday evening immediately after their 4-0 win over Libya, thanked Governor Okowa for his kind gestures and support to the team and Nigerian football generally. The Nigerian Football Federation has also praised Governor Okowa for his support.