Newly signed Hellas Verona defender Daniel Oyegoke is open to the idea of switching his nationality to the senior national team of Nigeria if he is handed a call up to the senior national team of Nigeria, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.
Oyegoke joined the Serie A from Scootish side Hearts during the January transfer window, with coach Paolo Zanetti identifying the 22 year old as one who will give them another option in the right back role.
Born in England to parents of Nigerian descent, he has represented the country of his birth 32 times at various youth levels, but he is still eligible for Nigeria at senior level.
Although his main priority is to seal a spot in starting lineup of the Serie A side his immediate senior international future lies with Nigeria, and he hasn’t made any secret about it.
Sources close to the defender revealed that it’s just a matter of time before he will openly apply for a switch, but will be forced into doing it early if he is formally approached by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) or the present coach of the team Eric Chelle.
He is said to be keen on following the footsteps of the likes of Calvin Bassey, Ola Aina, Ademola Lookman and Alex Iwobi who all represented England at various youth levels, before switching to Nigeria at senior level.
Ade Emmanuel
