When Owngoalnigeria.com broke the news of the inclusion of Samson Tijani in the Super Eagles list for their upcoming friendly games it naturally sparked a round of debate.
Tijani was handed a call up by coach of the Nigerian team Gernot Rohr for the games against Tunisia and Côte d’Ivoire which will take place on the 9th and 13th of October respectively in Austria.
On loan to Hartberg from fellow Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg, the 18 year old has only played four professional games in his career which started when he completed 18.
However he has done enough to convince Rohr that he is one for the future owing to his performances for Nigeria at the U17 World Youth Championship where he captained Nigeria.
He emerged as one of the few bright spots in that team but even at that a call up to the senior team of Nigeria is seen as rather too rapid in the eyes of many but Rohr has his reasons.
“ The coronavirus pandemic has made it impossible for many to travel and since Tijani is based in Austria it makes sense to have him with the team. He is 18 already and playing regularly. It’s about time we integrate him into the team”, a source told owngoalnigeria.com.
“ He could be a part of the team for the 2022 World Cup but that looks like a long shot for now. The other thing that helped his case is that most of the midfielders who would have been in the team are yet to be given the all clear by FIFA.
“ Everything plus venue and absence of some players for various reasons played in his favour. He has to make it count and prove the trust of the coach right”.
