Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr has disclosed that Rangers FC have sought permission for the late arrival of three Super Eagles stars for the 2022 AFCON finals.
Joe Aribo, Leon Balogun and Calvin Bassey are the three Rangers players, who are expected to be named in Nigeria’s final squad for the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon.
Nigeria are in Group D with Egypt, Sudan, and Guinea-Bissau with Africa’s biggest football tournament set to be played between January 9 and February 6.
“We need good preparation, we need the players at least 10 days before but like you know in the UK, they play,” Rohr told Scottish Sun. “Somebody called me from Glasgow already. They have the derby Rangers vs Celtic on the second day of January and asked if we can let the players play.
“We have a lot of problems to prepare the team, but I think we will have most of our players at least 10 days before.”
Aribo and Balogun are both key players for Rohr’s side and they have been included in the current Nigeria squad for their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Liberia and Cape Verde on November 13 and 16 respectively.
Bassey is not part of the Super Eagles’ latest selection, but the German coach has indicated that the talented defender is part of his plans ahead of the AFCON finals.