Nigeria Content Online

After
the not so impressive performance at the World Cup, a lot of Nigerian
football fans have been clamouring to have the ‘old players’ replaced
by younger and more energetic ones.

We searched through the world of football for Nigerian players, who have the ability to help the country move forward.

This week, we will
start in England, where there are numerous footballers of mixed
parentage but who could – if convinced – play for Nigeria.

Nicky Ajose

Manchester United

Age: 17

Position – Outside right

Nicky Ajose is a
highly-regarded attacking talent from Bury, in Greater Manchester. He
can play upfront or out wide on either flank. Most importantly, he
likes to beat defenders and score, or create goals.

Ajose signed
professional forms with the Reds in summer 2009, but has been
associated with the club’s youth setup for some time. He is regarded as
a great talent and has been at the Carrington Academy of Manchester
United for six years.

“Nicky has been
with us in the Academy for a long time. He is a very exciting player
and has the ability to beat defenders with his pace or skill,”
Manchester United’s U-18 coach, Paul McGuinness said.

“He is very quick
whether he is running with or without the ball. Nicky can make things
happen in and around the goal. He’s creative and is capable of making
or scoring goals.”

Ajose has played
under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Warren Joyce in the Reserves team and
his fine early-season form in 2010/11 prompted the award of a first
team squad number; a deserved recognition of Ajose’s rapid development.

Ajose said on
manutdsoccerschools.com where he will like to be in five years: “I’ll
be 21 then, and I’d love to be breaking into the United first-team.
Ultimately that’s my aim, as well as playing for England or Nigeria.
There’s a lot of hard work to be done before I can get that far, so I
have to train hard every day and listen to everything the coaches tell
me.”

Kudus Oyenuga

Tottenham Hotspurs

Age: 17

Position – Centre forward

The centre-forward was born in Walthamstow and raised in Hackney, attending the Royal Liberty School.

He featured 13 times for Tottenham’s U-18s as an Under-16 player in 2008-09, starting 10 games and scoring five times.

Kudus also made the
step up to the Reserve side and there is a real hype forming around
him. He has speed, skill and lots of confidence.

He is supposed to
be signing full time with Tottenham in July 2011 and he again showed
his stuff in last week’s 4-2 over Chelsea U-18s, where he struck two
late goals.

Oyenuga had reacted quickly to a free-kick and dinked over the
advancing goalkeeper into the far corner for 3-2 after 81 minutes.
Three minutes later the striker capped a fine display with a solo goal,
running from halfway into the penalty area before striking low into
bottom corner.