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Brentford hero, Sam Sodje has backed hardworking Super Eagles midfielder, Frank Onyeka to step into the shoes of Wilfred Ndidi at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria suffered a big blow ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, with Ndidi withdrawing from the squad due to a muscular injury that could see him sidelined for up to three months.
Leading up to Nigeria’s opener against Equatorial Guinea next weekend, there’s talk that Alhassan Yusuf would fill the void created by Ndidi’s absence, something that does not hold water taking into account that the Royal Antwerp midfielder is a greenhorn at international level with no caps to his name.
It is believed that Onyeka meets all the requirements that Peseiro is looking for in a holding midfielder, as the Brentford star has played at the highest level with games under his belt in the difficult Premier League, plus Champions League and Europa League qualifiers.
Sodje reckons that the FC Ebedei product, who has been involved in nine of the last ten matches played by the Super Eagles, is the ideal player to step into the shoes of Ndidi.
“I’m proud of Onyeka. African football, I am not sure, but I am a big fan of him, he may have to rise to the occasion, Ndidi not being there,” Sodje said to allnigeriasoccer.com.
“He would do a good job by marking and winning balls and giving it to the ball players if there’s any.
“I wish Onyeka well, he plays for my former club, he’s a friend of mine and I meet him when I go and watch Brenftord play.
“With the right system the Super Eagles might pull it off but I don’t think we are balanced going to the AFCON.”
