UK Home Office deny Onyekuru work permit scuttling his hopes of featuring for Everton this season

SUPER Eagles striker Henry Onyekuru will not be playing in the English Premier League over the forthcoming season after the British Home Office rejected an application filed by his clubside Everton to grant the player a work permit.

Onyekuru, 22, joined Everton from Belgian side Eupen at the start of the 2017/18 season and was immediately sent out on loan to Anderlecht. He came to prominence after finishing the 2016/17 season as joint top-scorer in the Belgian Juliper League with 22 goals in 38 games, sparking off a frenzy for his signature.

Last season, Onyekuru was sent out on loan to Turkish giants Galatasary, who want him again on loan over the course of 2019/20 but Everton wanted the player for themselves. Consequently, the Merseyside giants applied for a work permit but because Onyekuru has not met the requirement of playing 75% of Nigeria's competitive matches over the last two years, he was denied.

Not a first choice of Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr Onyekuru has only played six times in the last 12 months for Nigeria. Despite making Nigeria’s squad for the 2019 African Cup of Nations, Onyekuru made only one substitute appearance in the semi finals against Algeria.

Onyekuru who recently get married to his childhood sweetheart Esty in Benin City, has been capped 11 times by Nigeria scoring one goal. Galatasary have been told by Everton that if they want him, they must purchase him outright for €15m.