Former Shooting Stars attacker, Adegoke Adelabu, has said Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, should be careful in adding new players to the team ahead of the Russia 2018 World Cup.
Nigeria qualified for the World Cup unbeaten and recently beat South American giants Argentina 4-2 in a friendly affair.
Rohr has reportedly been scouting for a few more players to strengthen the team ahead of the World Cup. The German said there were no guaranteed shirts for players in the team and that there was room for new players to compete for roles.
Adelabu, who praised the Eagles for qualifying for the World Cup unbeaten, said, “The coach should be commended for leading the team to qualify for the World Cup with an unblemished record but he needs to be careful in his preparations for the competition.
“To run all over the world looking for players to add to the team may affect the balance of the team. It may also send a wrong message to the players who fought to get the country the qualification that their places in the team are not secured.
“Also, running after players that Nigeria contributed nothing to their careers is not good enough. Such players who refuse to play for Nigeria would be seen as unpatriotic. When some of these players offer to play for the country, they are mostly not followed up.
“I believe that except there is a serious development such as an injury to any of the current players, who played the qualifiers, there should not be any addition to the squad. These players only need more game time to build their confidence and unity to perform well at the World Cup.
“The present squad may not be perfect, but I believe they will take their chances against any team who are not extra careful.”
PUNCH
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