Tunde Liadi
Former Super Eagles utility player, Patrick Pascal, said it was right for Egypt 2019 highest scorer, Odion Ighalo to end his international career with Nigeria at the end of the last year’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The current Super Eagles’ coordinator and the Chairman of the Bauchi Football Association noted that Ighalo could have considered so many things including his age and his desire to elongate his club football career before deciding to quit the Super Eagles.
“I think I support Ighalo’s decision to quit the Eagles when the ovation was the loudest for him,” Pascal said in an interview. “Ighalo was very exceptional during the Qualifiers for the 2019 AFCON with his seven goals enough to land him the highest scorer during the qualifiers and he scored five times at the AFCON in Egypt to also emerge as the highest scorer.
“So many things would have been playing on his head and mind including his age (he was 29 years at the time).
“Many ageing players will like to reduce the stress of playing many matches to prolong their club football and I believe it was the same thing Ighalo considered before ending his International career.
“This will keep him fresh with no further stress of international football. He will solely concentrate on playing football for his club. I believe it was the right decision.”
Meanwhile, the former Watford and Udinese striker who only in January sealed a six month loan deal with Manchester United from Shanghai Shenhua, said his teammate Bruno Fernandes has so much to give the Reds.
The 30-year-old Ighalo tipped the Portugal international to shine when the Premier League returns and has been impressed with the early relationship he has built up with Anthony Martial.
“He is intelligent, he has foresight, he has vision,” said Ighalo (via the Metro). “He sees what he wants to do with the ball before it comes to him.
“You can see the understanding between him and Martial, you can see the understanding between me and him, so he’s a very good player. And he’s not even settled down yet!
“He comes from a very different place to the Premier League. When that guy has settled down, he’s going to take the Premier League by storm.”
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