As Jordon Ibe prepares himself for Stoke City on Sunday, a match in which he could possibly start, the youngster has been reportedly approached by the Nigerian coach about playing for Nigeria instead of England.
The Guardian are reporting the 19-year-old winger was visited at Melwood by Nigerian coach Sunday Oliseh, in an effort to sway Ibe towards joining the Nigerian national team.
This would not be the first approach Nigeria have made for Ibe.
In February 2015, the Nigerian FA reportedly announced they were monitoring Ibe. He said: “It is a decision I have been thinking about, but not one I need to make yet. When I do have a choice to make I will sit down with my family, and probably the gaffer here as well, and see what’s the best decision.”
Ibe is eligible to play for the Super Eagles through his father David, who is from Nigeria – which is the most populous country in Africa. Although Ibe has already represented England at U18, U19, and U20 level, he has yet to make an official decision, hence Oliseh traveling to Melwood.
Oliseh recently highlighted the importance of bringing in more talent for the national team, as he guaranteed his side would not win the World Cup in four years:
“We cannot win the next World Cup. The reasons are not farfetched; we don’t have the players that can win the Cup in four years. We do not even have any players in the very lucrative European league market this off-season.”
The former captain of Nigeria was hired on 14 July 2015 to lead the Super Eagles.
