Flying Eagles coach Ladan Bosso drops 10 players for foreign-based stars ahead of U20 World Cup

The Flying Eagles of Nigeria’s coach, Ladan Bosso, has made significant changes to his team ahead of the FIFA U20 World Cup.

Bosso confirmed at a press conference following the official group stage draws that he would exclude ten players from the squad that won third place at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations. He plans to invite 12 foreign-based players to the camp for the tournament, and he is confident that his team can survive the tough group, which includes Brazil, Italy, and the Dominican Republic.

Speaking on his selection choices, Bosso said, “For now, I have addressed the areas where I noticed we had problems at the Africa Cup of Nations. In the area of goalkeepers, I don’t think we need another hand, in defense, I have one foreign-based player lined up and in midfield, I have called three players Ebenezer Akinsanmiro from Inter Milan, Victor Eletu from AC Milan, and Tochukwu Nnadi from Botev Plovdiv in Bulgaria.”

Bosso also stated his intention to bolster the team’s attack with players like Joel Ideho of Arsenal, who he believes can add more firepower to the squad. “I brought in the boy ( Emmanuel Umeh) from Bulgaria into the team and the Arsenal kid (Joel Ideho),” Bosso said.

The former El-Kanemi Warriors and Abia Warriors manager believes that only the best players available to the country would be selected. “I have drawn up a preliminary list of players for the tournament and I will invite only the best players to the camp for the World Cup,” he said.

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles are set to play their first game against the Dominican Republic and coach Bosso is optimistic that his team can start the tournament on a high note. He said, “We have been drawn against Brazil, Italy, and the Dominican Republic, in the proverbial group of death, but we are confident that we can survive the group stage.”

It is worth noting that the Flying Eagles’ best performance in the U20 World Cup was finishing as runners-up in 1989 and 2005. With these changes, Coach Bosso hopes to lead the team to greater heights in the upcoming tournament.