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Super Eagles coach,
Lars Lagerback has called up a total of 44 players ahead of the
national team’s scheduled pre-World Cup training camp scheduled to come
up at a yet to be disclosed location in the United Kinigdom between
April 27 and 28.

There were really
no surprises in the list made public by the Nigeria Football Federation
(NFF) on Sunday as the Swede kept faith with the core of the players
that have appeared for the national team over the past couple of years.
There was however a recall to the Super Eagles for Portsmouth’s John
Utaka who was left out of the national team by the team’s erstwhile
handler Shaibu Amodu.

There was also a
recall to the Super Eagles for the duo of Rabiu Afolabi and Onyekachi
Okonkwo who haven’t featured for the side since 2008.

Unheralded Nigerian
defender Michael Odibe, who is on loan at Italian side Siena, France
based Brown Ideye, as well as Denmark based Peter Utaka were also
considered worthy of staking a claim for a World Cup shirt by the
Swedish born coach of the Super Eagles.

Return of the home boys

Lagerback, in line
with calls from Nigerians for the inclusion of players from the
domestic league in the Super Eagles, also invited as many as six
players from the Nigerian top flight division to the UK camp which will
also serve as an avenue for him to hold discussions with Super Eagles
players and intimate them of his plans for the national team ahead of
the World Cup.

They are goalkeeper
Bassey Akpan of Bayelsa United, Terna Suswan of Lobi Stars, Gabriel
Reuben of Enyimba, Heartland’s Bartholomew Ibenegbu, Solomon Okpako of
Kano Pillars, and his club mate and leading scorer in the Nigerian
Premier League Ahmed Musa.

There was however no place in the team for Heartland’s Thankgod Ike
who many rate as the best central defender in the domestic league.
There was also no place in the team for promising midfielder Rabiu
Ibrahim, although his situation is understandable considering his lack
of top flight action. His former Golden Eaglets and Flying Eagles
buddy, Lukman Haruna however made the list and he will be hoping to do
enough to impress the Super Eagles handler and accomplish his dream of
featuring at the World Cup.