Nigeria national team coach Gernot Rohr says he is already well aware of the qualities of Simy Nwankwo and a recall to the Super Eagles squad is unlikely.
The 28-year-old Nwankwo is enjoying a brilliant season in Serie A with Crotone, with his two goals in their 4-3 win over Parma this past weekend breaking a couple of records.
Nwankwo has now reached 19 league goals this season! This mark eclipses the previous best tally (17, Yakubu Aiyegbeni for Blackburn Rovers in 2011-12) by a Nigerian player in a single campaign in the top five European leagues.
Simy is now also the all-time top-scoring Nigerian in Serie A history, with 29 goals in 77 appearances. This takes him past the previous mark of 28 goals from 88 games, set by Obafemi Martins.
Despite his superb form this season, Nwankwo is unlikely to be called for the Super Eagles side when they begin their group stage qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in June.
You cannot fault the Super Eagles coach either as Nigeria has an abundance of striking talent. Rohr insists that Nigeria’s squad is already overflowing with strikers and argues that Spain-based Sadiq Umar deserves a chance before Nwankwo.
Kelechi Iheanacho will play a crucial role in determining Nigeria’s success. (Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
“You know that I invited Simy already for the last World Cup, and he was with us in Russia, and he came in sometimes,” Rohr said.
“Now we have so many strikers, unfortunately, we cannot play with five centre forwards, when you see the centre forwards we have already the competition is so big that it’s not easy for anybody to come in our team.
“We have [Paul] Onuachu, we have [Victor] Osimhen, we have Kelechi [Iheanacho], who scored and [is] going to the final of the FA Cup.
“We have also perhaps the comeback of [Odion] Ighalo, it could be interesting also. We have Sadiq Umar, who I invited. I wanted to see him for the first time last time, but his club did not release him.”
Rohr added, “Sadiq deserves also a chance – one of the best centre forwards in Spain, actually. Simy, I know him very well, and so I didn’t have to invite him again to know how he is.
“The last matches were the last opportunity also for me to see some new players because now we go to the World Cup and now will be too late to make experimentation. I know already Simy very well, he is a very good player.”
Nigeria begins its Group C World Cup Qualifying campaign at home to Liberia in June, followed quickly by a trip to the Cape Verde Islands and you would expect them to win both comfortably.
