Okechukwu tips Uzoenyi for greatness

Uche Okechukwu believes Enugu Rangers forward Ejike Uzoenyi has what it takes to play at the highest level.

Uzoenyi’s head-turning performance for the Super Eagles at the African Nations Championship in South Africa  has earned him  much  praise.

And former Nigeria defender Okechukwu reveals he is a big fan of the player, who has scored three goals in the competition for players plying their trade in their countries, insisting he is a quality player.

“Uzoenyi’s incredible,” the Tunisia’’94 Africa Cup of Nations winner  told our correspondent on the telephone during the week.

“He’s one of the best players  in the tournament  and  I’m impressed with his performances.

“I don’t know if he has off-field  issues because I  haven’t met him.  A player’s off-field behaviour  is very important. It determines how far he’ll go in the game.

The former Fenerbahce star also praised Eagles right-back Solomon Kwambe  for his performances in the championship, saying the Sunshine Stars player is “a top player”.

“There are other good players in the  (CHAN) team,” the Atlanta ’96 Olympic Games gold medallist said.

“The players I watched  playing  in the competition  have more quality than what we have seen.

“I think they will go places if they continue to work hard and discipline themselves.”

Okechukwu  says Keshi faces selection headache to pick his squad for the World Cup after the outstanding individual performances  by some of the domestic league players in South Africa.

He said, “Yes, some of them are good enough for the World Cup. Although some of them are playing in a big tournament for the first time, they distinguished themselves.

“Keshi will make the decision if any player in the CHAN team  is qualified for a place in his  World Cup squad.

“I haven’t spent time with them, but Keshi  knows them very well  because he’s their coach.”

The ex-Iwuanyanwu Nationale player, who represented the country at the USA ’94 and France ’98 World Cups, said he was disappointed that the Eagles could not beat Ghana in their CHAN semifinal clash on Wednesday.

Ghana beat Nigeria  4-1 on penalties   to set up a final clash with Libya on Saturday.

“It was a difficult match; it happens in football,” Okechukwu said.

“But I’m disappointed that we couldn’t score after Ghana had a player sent off.  We could have avoided the penalty shootout if  we had taken our chances in the game.”

 The retired player  is backing the Eagles to make a stern statement at the World Cup, maintaining that Nigeria boast quality players to make an impact at the tournament.

“We are ready for the World Cup. I know the coach (Keshi) very well and I pray  the players cooperate with him,” the  46-year-old ex-Brondby defender  said.

“If the players listen to him, we will go far in the tournament.

“We shouldn’t be disturbed that  many of our players are not playing for big clubs at the moment.

“We have to make good use of  what we have. Football is a team sport and the club you are playing for doesn’t  count at the World Cup. With teamwork, we can beat the best  in Brazil.”