Golden Eaglets coach Manu Garba says the individual performances of his players at the ongoing UEFA/CAF U17 Tourney in Turkey will form the basis of his final World Cup squad selection.
Nigeria U17s on Sunday got off to a flying start at the tournament, thrashing hosts Turkey 2-0 with goals from Olakunle Olusegun and Divine Nwachukwu.
Ahead of the team’s next game against Guatemala on Tuesday, the 2013 U17 World Cup-winning coach has promised to ring the changes with a view to assessing the entire squad.
“We are here to give chances to every player so that we can know the players we are taking to the World Cup,” the 53-year-old former Flying Eagles coach said.
“(In) the match against Guatemala which will come up tomorrow, I believe we will give other players chances too to see what they can do. The most important thing is to expose these boys to see the level of how the team goes in terms of collective play and look at individuals who are good enough to represent the country in the World Cup.
“After we must have played the three matches, that’s when we can analyze the performance of the whole team in terms of collective team play, then, in terms of individual play. By that time, we must have known those who are good enough to represent the country at the World Cup.
“Don’t forget that we have other players back home who are good enough to make the team. So it depends on individual performances here (Turkey), that will guarantee who and who is going to make the World Cup in Brazil,” the former Gombe United coach stated.
Five-time champions Nigeria have been drawn in Group B alongside Hungary, Ecuador and Australia in the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup which runs from 26 October to 17 November in Brazil.
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