Eric Chelle singled out Tosin Oyedokun for special praise after the midfielder impressed during Super Eagles preparations for the clash of the Unity Cup against Zimbabwe in London.
The Ikorodu City midfielder earned the call-up after a strong campaign in the Nigerian Premier League, where he scored four goals and provided three assists in 32 appearances.
Although Ikorodu City narrowly missed out on a place in the CAF Confederation Cup after losing to Rangers International on the final day, Oyedokun has caught the attention of the Super Eagles coaching staff with his performances.
Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s game, Chelle admitted that several of the home side’s players had caught his eye in training, but particularly praised the midfielder’s composure in possession.
“Some of them are good with the ball, like Tosin, who plays for Ikorodu City,” said Chelle.
“But the most important thing is that they try to understand what we want for this team.”
Home players under pressure
The former Mali coach acknowledged the difficulties local league players face when trying to impress within a short period in the national team set-up.
“It’s difficult for these players because they have to show something after two training sessions. Maybe they can have a lot of pressure,” he explained.
“I want them to come motivated. You play for Nigeria and the only pressure you can have is to do your best on the pitch.”
Chelle also encouraged the players not to be afraid of making mistakes during matches.
“After that, you will make a lot of mistakes, but this is not the end, because if there are no mistakes, there are no goals in football. Don’t be afraid of anything, be ready for war.”
Unity Cup opportunity for NPFL stars
The Super Eagles coach added that the Unity Cup provides an important platform to assess talent from the domestic league, especially with several players from Europe unavailable outside the FIFA international window.
“As I said when I was in Nigeria, I wanted to give the local players a chance. They can show their strengths and this is a good tournament,” Chelle added.
The defending champions begin their Unity Cup campaign against Zimbabwe on Tuesday in London.
