Coach of English Championship side Rotherham has hailed the improvement in the game of recently capped Nigerian defender Semi Ajayi since his debut for the senior national team of Nigeria.
24 year old Ajayi made his competitive debut for Nigeria in their last competitive fixture against Seychelles coming on as a substitute for the injured Chidozie Awaziem.
He made his full debut in the 2-1 friendly win over Liberia , a remarkable rise for a player who was dropped from the Nigeria U20 team of 2013 ahead of their campaign at the World Youth Championship.
His club career before now has also suffered same fate since his release from Arsenal two years ago after he failed to make the grades despite spending two years with the youth team of the London based side.
Coach Paul Warne who is largely credited by many as the brain behind the improvement in the game of the Nigerian said he has stepped up a bit since his senior national team bow with Nigeria.
” He plays with some level of confidence now. We love to play him as a defensive midfielder but he isn’t doing badly as a central defender now. The Nigerian game has helped his development “, the coach said.
Ade Emmanuel
