Posted by By Patrick Omorodion on
Former Green Eagles captain Henry Nwosu (MON) has expressed joy over the non-inclusion of Middlesbrough attacker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, in the Super Eagles squad for the 2006 African Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Former Green Eagles captain Henry Nwosu (MON) has expressed joy over the non-inclusion of Middlesbrough attacker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, in the Super Eagles squad for the 2006 African Cup of Nations in Egypt. Nwosu who posits that Aiyegbeni may not be a very good striker said his inclusion would have robbed another good player his chance in the team as he commended the coaching crew led by Austin Eguavoen for the final list drawn for the Nations Cup.
'I am very happy (Yakubu) Aiyegbeni is not part of the team because he would have taken the position of one good player", Nwosu said on a Galaxy Television sports programme Grand Masters at the weekend, stressing that the Eagles have enough strikers who could deliver the goals in Egypt.
'The Eagles have enough strikers to choose from. We have Ayo Makinwa, Julius Aghahowa and Obafemi Martins. Aghahowa can pair with Makinwa or Martins to get the results", he said.
On Aghahowa, Nwosu said that Shaktar Donesk attacker 'is a businessman, when he is playing he's target is the goal, he's not bothered about skill, he just wants to get the goal".
Nwosu, a member of the 1980 Nations Cup winning Green Eagles, says he prefers the 4-4-2 formation where Aghahowa should either pair Martins or Makinwa and said the Eagles could go far in the competition once they get through the first round.
The Imo-born former coach of Ibom Stars poured encomiums on Nwankwo Kanu for saying that he was ready to die playing for Nigeria, adding 'that is because he loves his country. Not Aiyegbeni who prefers playing for his club. When he (Aiyegbeni) is finally rejected by his club and wants to come back to the Eagles, we will tell him we don't want him anymore."
Despite sticking to club rather than country at this time of the Nations Cup, Aiyegbeni fired blank at the weekend as his Middlesbrough were massacred 7-0 by Thierry Henry's Arsenal in a Premiership match.