World football governing body FIFA has picked two players in the Nigerian team at the U20 World Cup as the stars to watch out for in the team ahead of their opening game against the Dominican Republic.
Nigeria will get their group campaign at the tournament underway with a game against the minnows looking for a win that will put them in good stead for the next two group games against Italy and Brazil respectively.
In their preview of the game and profile of the Nigerian team, AC Milan’s Victor Eletu and Abel Ogwuche of Swedish side Trelleborgs were picked as the two top stars in the 21 man squad of the Nigerian team.
While Ogwuche is poised to start tomorrow against Dominican Republic, the same can’t be said of Eletu, who arrived in the camp of the team yesterday. Sources said he is more likely to get into the team for the second game against Italy.
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Below is an extract from the FIFA’s article on the duo.
Star player: Victor Eletu
Perhaps the brightest jewel in the crown of Nigerian football is Eletu, a physically agile central midfielder who has enjoyed a stellar season in the AC Milan youth ranks.
Eletu, who signed his first professional contract with the Italian giants in December 2022, has been a mainstay in Ignazio Abate’s Milan U-19 side this term, featuring in 31 league games and six in the UEFA Youth League as Milan reached the semi-finals.
Typically deployed at the base of midfield, the 18-year-old has a little bit of everything in his locker, ranging from creativity, to a strong reading of the game and ability to break up play.
One to watch: Abel Ogwuche
One of the surprise packages from Bosso’s U-20 Africa Cup of Nations squad was Trelleborgs FF defender Ogwuche, who has been making waves at club level with the Swedish second division side.
The centre-back, who can play on the right or the left of a back four or as a sitting midfielder, joined the Superettan side permanently in January from Nigerian outfit Tripple 44 FC after helping the Swedish side to a fourth-place finish.
That form caught the eye of Bosso, who gave the 19-year-old his first Nigeria U-20 call-up for the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations. Ogwuche was expected to provide cover for Benjamin Fredrick and Bameyi, until the latter received a suspension which thrust the Trelleborgs man into the quarter-final spotlight.
He took it in his stride, keeping the Ugandan frontline quiet with a player-of-the-match performance as Nigeria ran out 1-0 winners. Ogwuche kept his place for the narrow semi-final defeat to The Gambia, and Bosso retained faith with the defender for the third-place play-off against Tunisia, where he helped the Young Eagles to a 4-0 win.
With two clean sheets from three games and that starring display against Uganda to his name, it will be interesting to see if Bosso continues to rely on Ogwuche in the heart of his defence.
