An idea of what to expect from new Super Eagles defender Tosin Adarabiyio has been provided by Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola who was key to the player’s growth, while he was with the youth team of Manchester City.
Tosin is now at Fulham and has been ever present in what is their best campaign in a long while. He used the opportunity to sort out his international future by inviting the technical director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Austine Eguavoen to watch his team against Crystal Palace.
Expected to be in the list of players called up for the next international engagement of Nigeria with coach Jose Peseiro keen on more young players in defence, what Tosin will add to the team was revealed by Guardiola years ago.
He was an academy hopeful tipped for big things by Guardiola upon the former Barcelona coach’s grand arrival.
Shortly after touching down in the Premier League, the Spaniard issued a glowing assessment of Adarabioyo, then aged 18.
Guardiola said: “He has all the quality. He is fast. He is faster than the people can believe it and he’s strong in the air. He has the quality to look behind the line for the next step, the next pass. He has a lot of things to improve on and I hope I can help him to develop his skills”, he said back then.
Now aged 25 and with a lot of senior games under his belt, he will be expected to bring all of that to the Super Eagles if his international clearance from FIFA goes through before the next break for international games. He will be needing a switch of allegiance process as he has represented England at various youth levels.
