Owolabi advises Rohr to build Eagles around ‘world class’ Osimhen
Former international, Felix Owolabi, has described Super Eagles’ striker, Victor Osimhen, as the best thing that has happened to the country’s football in recent time, following on the exploits of Rashidi Yekini, Victor Ikpeba, Emmanuel Amuneke, Kanu Nwankwo, who were at different times Africa’s Footballer of the Year.
Osimhen on Sunday began his career with Napoli on a good note, helping his new club to a 2-0 away victory over hosts, Parma at the Stadio Ennio Tardini Stadium.
A second half substitute, Osimhen’s introduction in the 61st minute for Diego Demme gave Napoli the needed bite in the attack and eventually resulted in goals in their opening game of the 2020/21 Serie A season.
An impressed Coach Gattuso said after the match that the former Lille of France star has not forgotten the sacrifices he made that resulted in the huge fees paid by Napoli to secure his signature. He described Osimhen as a “young lad with the head of a 40-year-old.”
Speaking to The Guardian yesterday, Owolabi said with a fantastic player like Osimhen, the country now possessed a matchmaker, which the team has been lacking since the 1980 and 1994 Africa Cup of Nations squads.
“I think as at today, Osimhen is the best thing we can talk about, as far as Nigerian football is concerned. And if I were the coach of the national team, I will build my team around that boy. For a very long time, after my tenure, and that of the USA ’94 World Cup group, I have not seen a matchmaker in the Eagles’ team.
“I want to say that this boy is something else. He is a very fantastic player and I advise the handler of the national team to devise a means of making best use of him. There are at times when a coach will have such a unique player and he is confused on how best to use him… not every coach knows how to use such a player,” he stated.
