Eguavoen set to recall Nwakali and Dennis ahead of next month's African Nations Cup

SUPER Eagles interim head coach Austin Eguavoen is set to recall Watford's Emmanuel Dennis and mercurial playmaker Kelechi Nwakali back into the team ahead of the impending African Cup of Nations starting in Cameroon next month.

Last week, Eguavoen was appointed as temporary manager by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) after it formally sacked German manager Gernot Rohr after over five years in charge of the team. Eguavoen, a former Gent defender was Nigeria’s coach between 2005 and 2007, who was also caretaker coach in 2010, will be assisted by Salisu Yusuf, Paul Aigbogun and Joseph Yobo.

With the Eagles expected to convene in Nigeria on December 28 ahead of the trip to Cameroon, Eguavoen us planning to make two major additions to the 40-man squad drawn up by Mr Rohr. Striker Dennis, 24, who has already been capped twice by Nigeria, has been outstanding for Watford in the Premier League since he arrived for £3.4m from Club Brugge in the summer.

He last featured for the Eagles in November 2020 when he was given a six-minute cameo against Sierra Leone in Freetown. So far this season, for Watford, the striker  has seven goals and five assists in 15 games and is seen as a valuable replacement for the injured Victor Osimhen.

Also expected to earn a recall back to the team is playmaker Kelechi Nwakali. Regarded as the closest thing to Austin JJ Okocha, the Huesca midfielder is seen as a player who could help solve the team’s creativity.

One NFF source said: “Rohr’s sacking has changed the fate of Dennis and Nwakali in the team. They are in line for a return but they must fight for their places in the team when camping starts.”

Nwakali, 22, is one of the most talented Nigerian footballers ever seen, which was acknowledged in 2015 when he won the golden ball at the Fifa U17 Wold Cup. Adjudged to be the best player in the tournament to which he captained Nigeria to victory, Nwakali was immediately signed by Arsenal who subsequently loaned him out to several clubs before he finally ended up with Huesca in Spain.