Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier match slated for June 7 and 10, Wilfred Ndidi has disclosed that the absence of Osimhen will be missed by the team.
Describing the Napoli striker as a “hustler”, Leicester defensive midfielder, Ndidi said the hustling spirit of Osimhen which is always an advantage for the Super Eagles in all matches would be missed.
Osimhen will miss the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier match against South Africa, on June 7, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State; and on June 10 against the Republic of Benin, in Cote d’ Ivoire, following injury sustained in La Liga match.
Ndidi, who won the championship with Leicester said this while inspecting in Lagos the New Maracana Complex he erected in Ajegunle for youths.
Wilfred said Osimhen would be missed by the Super Eagles team because he has a great impact and draws the team forward.
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“Osimhen is a great player, he’s a hustler. I call him hustler because he plays like a street footballer with strength and a strong mentality. There is no doubt that we are going to miss him. He’s quite important to the team because he drives the team forward and he has great impact,” he said.
He, however, assured that many great strikers in the Super Eagles would do great to ensure Nigeria secures the victory in Uyo and Cote d’ Ivoire which Republic of Benin adopted as home for her match against the Super Eagles on June 10.
“However, we have many great strikers who can bring their own dynamics into the team and make an impact. It’s all about the team. This is not the time to begin to think about him not been around but to go out there and win the matches and wish him the best as he recovers from his injury,” Ndidi said.
The Leicester defensive midfielder, who missed the AFCON 2021 tournament due to injury, called on Nigerians to give the new Super Eagles coach, Finidi George, support to achieve his target for the country.
Describing Finidi as “great coach”, Ndidi said the difficulty he (Finidi) had in Morocco was caused by absence of complete technical team. He said the ex-Super Eagles player was “alone” in Morocco.
“Finidi is a great coach. I was with him in Morocco during the friendly matches, which was quite difficult for him because he was all alone. Now that he has the full complement of his assistants, we are going to see the best of him with the support of all Nigerians and the football federation,” Ndidi added.