Coach Ladan Bosso has picked a formidable Flying Eagles pool of defenders on his final squad for the U20 AFCON in Egypt next month.
The three goalkeepers from the U20 AFCON qualifiers in May 2022 are in – Nathaniel Nwosu, Chijioke Anigboso and Saheed Akanbi.
Man Mountain Nwosu is No 1 choice, Anigboso from NNL side Giant Brillars is the deputy, while former Golden Eaglets shot stopper Akanbi is third in the pecking order.
The fullbacks are Solomon Agbalaka (left), Augustine Njoku (right) with the versatile Dominion Ohaka as cover on both wings.
Njoku from NPFL side Abia Warriors is the only defender to survive the purge from the qualifiers last year.
In central defence are solid pillar Daniel Bamaiyi, Turkey-based Michael Ologo and Abel Ogwuche from Swedish second division club Trelleborg.
Bamaiyi and Ologo have already combined for an experimental CHAN Eagles team who fell to 2022 World Cup-bound Costa Rica in November.
Ologo and Ohaka have been capped by Nigeria at U23 level already.
He and Bamaiyi will be the first choices in a 4-3-3 formation with Ogwuche as the cover.
Interestingly, no-nonsence Agbalaka could also fit in on the left-side of central defence.
This means that young Nasarawa United centre-back Benjamin Frederick, sourced from the Moses Simon Football Academy, will again miss out on the final squad, just as he has done for the qualifiers last year, when he was placed on standby.
He could make the trip for the training tour of Morocco, but subsequently axed from the 21-man party to Egypt.
Flying Eagles squad:
Goalkeepers: Nathaniel Nwosu, Chijioke Anigboso, Saheed Akanbi
Defenders: Daniel Bamaiyi, Michael Ologo, Abel Ogwuche, Solomon Agbalaka, Augustine Njoku, Dominion Ohaka, *Benjamin Frederick
NEXT: WHO WILL BOSSO PICK TO CREATE THINGS FROM MIDFIELD?
