The head coach of the U20 team of Nigeria Ladan Bosso is leaving no stone unturned in his bid to ensure that only the best players represent Nigeria at the U20 World Cup in May, OGN reports.
Bosso is already in Abuja where he is putting final touches to his provisional list for the tournament expected to be submitted next week ahead of the start of the tournament which will now take place in Argentina.
Fresh from leading his team to a bronze medal finish at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations, which sealed their spot at the World Cup, the coach is keen on fortifying the attack of the team and also adding more depth to the midfield.
Already he has penciled down Arsenal youth team star Joel Ideho, Crystal Palace forward Ademola Ola-Adebomi and also Inter Milan youth team new acquisition Ebenezer Akinsanmiro for a spot in the team.
Ideho won the coach over at their camp in Abuja but as at the time, he doesn’t have a Nigerian passport making him ineligible for the team. Ola-Adebomi was also in the team but Crystal Palace didn’t give him enough time to be assessed by the coaching crew of the team.
Both players have been high flyers this season in the Premier League 2 with Ola-Adebomi having six goals from 14 games this season. Ideho a winger signed from Ajax a year ago has two goals from ten games this season.
Akinsanmiro who was newly signed by Inter Milan has been tracked by Bosso since his performance at the Viareggio youth tournament in Italy and the coach is now open to having him in his team for the tournament.
His inclusion is a necessity with doubts surrounding the return to full fitness of team’s midfield star Daniel Daga. He is expected to be passed fit for the tournament but a credible option is what Bosso sees in Akinsanmiro.
While he is okay with his team in the area of goalkeepers, he is however open to having CD Feirense U19 defender Lekan Oyedele back in the team to provide competition and cover for the likes of Solomon Agbalaka, Benjamin Fredrick, Abel Ogwuche and Daniel Bameyi.
Damian Waziri
