Warri Wolves striker Onyekachi Okafor has been called up as a replacement for the injured Brown Ideye for Nigeria’s upcoming friendly matches.
Nigeria host Uganda at the Nest of Champions stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, on Wednesday before traveling to South Africa for another friendly encounter with the Bafana Bafana in Nelspruit.
The former Crown FC marksman was invited by caretaker coach Daniel Amokachi as a last minute replacement for West Brom striker, Ideye, who is nursing a “minor injury.”
Amokachi is understood to be a huge admirer of the clinical forward after watching him in a Glo Premier League Matchday 1 encounter between the Seasiders and Ifeanyi Uba FC (Gabros International).
Okafor’s inclusion takes the number of home-based players in the Super Eagles camp to 11, joining team-mate Azubuike Egwuekwe and Stanley Dimgba, as well as the likes of Enyimba’s Emem Eduok and Sharks FC’s Joseph Nathaniel.
Meanwhile, English Premier League club West Brom plan for Ideye to use the international break recuperate from a knee problem which kept him out of Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester City.
The Hawthorns outfit contacted the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over the weekend to inform them of the 26-year-old’s withdrawal.
Manager Tony Pulis told the club website: “Everyone knows we are short on numbers up front and we have had to press both Ideye and Saido Berahino into battle.
“The last thing we wanted to do was stop them playing for their countries. Brown has worked really hard to get back into the Nigeria selection…
“But sometimes you have to protect the lads from themselves. They simply were not fit enough to take on the prospect of two more games.
“They need to recover from their injuries. I felt I had to act in the best interests of West Bromwich Albion and the players themselves.”
Ideye’s strike partner, Berahino, has also pulled out of England Under-21 duty due to an ankle problem.
