BY JUDITH NWABIA
Following the end of the Nigeria league season, there are strong indications that players from the league will not make Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr’s final squad for Algeria in next month’s Russia 2018 World Cup qualifier.
Eagles will play host to the Fennecs in Uyo on the 12th of November in continuation of the qualifying series for the World Cup.
Five players from the NPFL made the final squad for this month’s qualifier in Zambia, although none of them featured in the encounter.
“The players from the domestic league will be left out of the Algeria match because the season is over and the coach cannot vouch for their fitness,” a top source informed africanfootball.com.
“He would rather use the positions taken by these players from the league to try out some other professionals based overseas.”
Victor Moses (Chelsea), Isaac Success (Watford) and Oghenekaro Etebo (Feirense, Portugal) were already set to return to the Eagles squad after they were ruled out by injury for the Zambia game.
Meanwhile, Franco-Algerian Adam Ounas had been called up by Algeria for next month’s World Cup qualifier in Nigeria, his French club had announced.
French Ligue 1 club, Bordeaux announced that Ounas had been included on a 23-man squad for the November 12 World Cup qualifier in Uyo.
Ounas had represented France at U21, but had since opted to change his international allegiance to Algeria. The 19-year-old midfielder had now been handed his first call-up by Algeria.
Nigeria top the qualifying group with three points, while Algeria and Cameroon are on a point each after they drew 1-1 in Blida.
Zambia is bottom and pointless.