Five years after turning down the chance to represent Nigeria former Liverpool teen sensation now at fellow English Premier League side Bournemouth Jordon Ibe appears to have finally made a u-turn.
Ibe was first approached to play for Nigeria by coach Sunday Oliseh in 2015 after his breakthrough season at Liverpool but he turned down the chance and insisted on focusing on his rise from the youth ranks of England.
That didn’t work as planned as his career took a not too impressive turn and that stopped him from playing for the senior national team of England despite representing them from Under-18 to Under-21 level.
Prior to the last Word Cup in Russia, the 24 year old claimed he was offered a spot in the Nigerian team for the World Cup by coach Gernot Rohr but since then nothing have been heard from him regarding a switch of allegiance to Nigeria.
However in a conversation leaked to Owngoalnigeria.com, Ibe confirmed he will be willing to listen to Rohr if he is contacted by the Franco-German coach of the senior national team of Nigeria.
Comfortable on either flanks as a winger, he has found games hard to come by at Bournemouth with just four appearances to his name before the current season was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. A form that could make Nigeria snub him.
In the present Super Eagles team he is behind the likes of Samuel Kalu, Samuel Chukwueze and Moses Simon who are the other options on the flanks for Nigeria bar captain of the team Ahmed Musa.
Daniel Martins
