Wimbledon legend John Fashanu has advised Gernot Rohr to search of more players to bolster his squad after the World Cup, if he remains the coach of the national team. Fashanu added that there are a lot of players of Nigerian descent plying their trade in the English Leagues. The former England international noted that Nigeria’s squad at the 2018 World Cup is not balanced as they are too many young and inexperienced players which could lead to their downfall during the tournament.
Fashanu regrets choosing to represent England over Nigeria and has advised the likes of Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, Dominic Solanke and Philip Billing not to follow in his footsteps. ”Sadly I couldn’t get the opportunity as much as I wanted to play for Nigeria, so I opted to play for England, and became the first Nigerian to play for England,” Fashanu disclosed.
”Now we are trying to persuade many of our players to come back home and play for their fatherland.” Fashanu continued: “The English Premier League and playing in Europe gives you an experience you cannot find anywhere else. Playing against Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham is different from playing in the local league, so it gives you an advantage. We have wonderful players playing in the English Premier League who are of Nigerian descent. It is for the coach to do his work, go and find these players so we have a nice balance.”