Celtic goalkeeper Oluwayemi makes England debuts alongside five other Nigerians

CELTIC'S Nigeria-eligible goalkeeper Tobi Oluwayemi  had made his debut for the England youth team when he was one of six players of Nigerian extraction who featured for the English U20 side yesterday in a 2-1 victory over Morocco in an international friendly.

Played at the Pinatar Arena in Spain, the game saw Oluwayemi, 19, add the U20 team to the number of appearances he has, having already featured for the England U16, U17, U18 and U19 squads. Oluwayemi was originally not named in the squad list but received a late call-up to join the squad in Spain.

Having remained on the bench for the Young Lions' game against Chile on Wednesday but then made his first appearance at this level yesterday. Tobi is the younger brother of 2021 Super Eagles invitee Joshua Oluwayemi, who was an unused substitute when the team faced Mexico in a friendly played in the US last summer.

Oluwayemi was not the only player of Nigerian descent who featured for England, with manager Ian Foster handing game time to several others. They included Aston Villa loanee Tim Iroegbunam, Chelsea wonderkid Carney Chukwuemeka, Crystal Palace winger Malcolm Ebiowei, Southampton starlet Samuel Edozie and former Arsenal fullback Daniel Oyegoke.

Iroegbunam scored in the night getting the second goal in the 67th minute. At the other end, the Moroccans pulled one back when their number 17 squeezed the ball past Oluwayemi at the near post with 19 left on the clock.