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Tag: Wilfred Ndidi

  • Before Rodgers benches Ndidi

    I’m not comfortable with Brendan Rodgers’ stay in Leicester City. Rodgers is a good coach, but he rotates his squad to the detriment of certain key players. He only realises his folly with such rotation when his side loses at home. A case in point is Leicester’s 1-0 loss to Newcastle, a struggling side in the Barclays English Premier League.

    Until Rodgers’ arrival in Leicester, some players including Nigeria international Wilfred Ndidi, Wes Morgan, Vardy and Kasper Schmeichel, were the spine of the Foxes. They were regulars who decided the Foxes’ shape and formation. They missed games due to only card offences or injuries.

    Rodgers started the needless rotation, which kept Morgan on the bench, only to introduce him into the game following injuries in one of their matches. Morgan came on as a substitute and scored the vital winner. Rodgers’ serial rotation didn’t start with Leicester. He made some controversial changes as coach of Liverpool. The changes accounted for the Reds’ miss of the Barclays English Premier League title, even when the team had the awesome trio of Raheem Sterling, Luiz Suarez and Sturridge (aka SSS). They scored goals with aplomb.

    My concern as the EPL draws to an end is the recent substitution of Ndidi in Sunday’s 3-0 whiplash of Arsenal. Most football lovers thought the Nigerian was replaced to avoid a red card, having been shown the yellow in the first half. Rather than allow Ndidi return for the second half, Rodgers asked him to rest in what he called a tactical change. Is this the first time Ndidi has been yellow carded and ended the game without a red? Was Ndidi the only player who got yellow card? Why were the others not substituted?

    What manner of tactical change was he talking about for a team down to 10 men, with a red card. It was just a matter of time that the Gunners were going to capitulate. That Arsenal left the Kings Power Stadium with three goals in their kitty came from their goalkeeper Berd Leno’s brilliance all through 90 minutes. Nothing changed with the way Leicester played in the second half and that is typical of Rodgers.

    Perhaps, Ndidi needs to do a rethink about his future with Leicester under Rodgers, lest he is confined to the bench, when the manager gets a replacement for the Nigerian during the transfer window. The other option for Ndidi will be for him to sit with Rodgers to get his assurances of a regular first team shirt or he leaves.

    Ndidi has been outstanding for Leicester. He has won several laurels and awards which earned him rave reviews and an avalanche of interests from big European clubs seeking his services. If Rodgers cannot guarantee Ndidi a first team shirt devoid of such needless substitutions, he should move away now that his value is still high. He is young; this makes his future very bright. It will be a travesty if Ndidi stays to be made a 45 minutes player.

    “I thought when it was 11 vs. 11 we were the better team, we looked a threat, we just needed to control their counter-attacks.

    “In the second half we wanted to be more aggressive, taking off Wilf (Wilfred Ndidi) who was on a yellow card, put an extra creative midfield player in and then putting Harvey (Barnes) wide.

    “I thought in the second half we showed great fitness levels, great energy and scored all three very good goals,” Rodgers told the Leicester City club website.

    I have been pinching myself to find out what happened to Kelechi Iheanacho. As a Golden Eaglets star, he was awesome, scoring goals which reminded Nigerians of the late Rashidi Yekini, Segun Odegbami, Thompson Usiyen et al. Many people looked up to Iheanacho as the next Nigerian to win the Africa Footballer of the Year award. But Iheanacho has melted away like ice-cream under the scorching sun.

    Iheanacho raised hopes with Manchester City but soon fizzled out. Citizens’ manager Pep Guardiola rushed to Brazil to recruit Gabriel Jesus, who shone like a million stars to eclipse Iheanacho and dump him into the transfer market. Leicester recruited the Nigerian. He had a few cameo appearances with Leicester and transferred his club form to the Super Eagles, scoring some vital goals

    that gave Nigeria the ticket to the 2018 World Cup and the 2019 Africa  Cup of Nations slated to hold in Egypt from June 21 to July 19. These happened under the former manager who recruited Iheanacho. When he left, I had doubts about Iheanacho’s future, I knew Rodgers, a former Liverpool coach, would try him out and come up with a verdict. That is Rodgers’ strength.

    “I think he’s a great talent but he’s a number nine. He’s not one who can play on the sides or come in. Some strikers I’ve worked with you can maybe shuffle them about and slide them around to make it work – but he’s a number nine and that’s it. And we already have a good number nine. So he’s got a fight to get ahead. But there’s maybe another system to make it work, like a diamond,” Rodgers said.

    “It’s been hard for Kelechi because he’s come in and he’s been a secondary striker at Manchester City. All of a sudden he makes a move for big money and I think everyone can see the potential. But he’s come in to one of the top strikers in the league (Jamie Vardy) and I think it’s very hard to displace that. But it’s just a case of adapting to these new players.

    “Actually, my job is not to put them in a trap of pressure, and take that away from them. Enjoy your football, but ultimately your first job is to press and work hard. From that what can you add into your game?”

    Reading Rodgers’ comments about Iheanacho when he joined the Foxes gave me a little hope, having been told that the Nigerian was just a traditional striker who couldn’t function anywhere else but as a point man to score goals. I was a little excited that Iheanacho stood a chance of stealing Vardy’s thunder anytime he is injured or is dropped due to card offences.

    It never happened for Iheanacho the few times he started the game ahead of Vardy. Even when he came in as a substitute, his output was off the mark; largely anonymous.  Iheanacho’s performance with the Foxes has been apologetic, culminating in his being dropped from the Super Eagles, and rightly so.

    I hope Iheanacho is talking with his agents to search for a new club next season. Rodgers uses every opportunity to tell the media that he is shopping for a striker to challenge Vardy as the team’s top striker. What it means is that Iheanacho is on his way out of the Foxes, since he is Vardy’s rival in the striking role position. He shouldn’t wait until January to quit Leicester. A stitch in time saves nine.

     

    Pharaohs or Super Eagles?

     

    June 21 is a landmark date in the annals of Africa Cup of Nations, with a 24-team format which sees the continent’s best players fighting to outdo one another for glory in Egypt. It is expected that by July 19, a new champion will emerge – likely Nigeria or the hosts Pharaohs of Egypt.

    Pundits are at their wits’ best in picking the finalists. They are considering Senegal, the continent’s number one in the FIFA ranking. They argue that the Terenga Lions of Senegal is built around Sadio Mane, who may be so tired as a result of the hectic European season with Liverpool, where he has scored 20 goals for the Reds in the ongoing Barclays English Premier League. The fatigue argument can be likened to Mohammed Salah, who plays for Liverpool and has scored 21 goals in the EPL. The leveller tilts in Salah’s and Egypt’s favour because of the support from their teeming fans as the hosts of the Africa Cup of Nations.

    Both players (Mane and Salah) are top contenders for the Africa Footballer of the Year Award. But football is no respecter of pundits. It also doesn’t know who brought the ball to the pitch. The best playing side which takes its goal-scoring chances wins.

    Those tipping Nigeria to play in the final, have hinged their bet on the unpredictable character of the Super Eagles, especially after missing the last two editions. In fact, Nigeria, against all odds, won the Africa Cup of Nations on February 10, 2013 in South Africa. The pundits stressed that since Nigerian players made their marks in most European clubs this season, they are match fit. But will selection of players be Nigeria’s headache?

    Chief coach Gernot Rohr is having grey hairs over the inclusion of John Mikel Obi, Francis Uzoho and Chukwueze in his squad. He, however, has solutions to the trio’s inclusion, beginning with Uzoho.

    Rohr, in a twitter conversation with @osasuo, said: ‘’I have sent Enrico Pionetti, my goalkeeper trainer, to @anorthosisfc to work on goalkeeper Francis Uzoho. At the moment; it’s not, for now, a question of him being number one but of his being one of our three goalkeepers for the AFCON.’’ Good thinking coach. The way forward.

    Asked if Mikel Obi was returning to the Super Eagles, Rohr told @osasuo: ‘’This is the question that I and my team will resolve. I will soon get to see him at Boro. There are many things to consider but I respect him and what he has done for Nigeria. He remains an important player.

    ‘’He has been away from the team for a year but we qualified for the AFCON without him. His absence, as our captain, has been evident. But he has had to deal with a range of issues, after the World Cup in Russia.’’

    Asked by @osasuo if Chukwueze will start Nigeria’s matches at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Rohr said: ‘’ You seem to know all my present challenges. He is a great talent and I would like him in my team, although I don’t know if he will be an immediate starter. The challenge, of course, is that he is also wanted for Nigeria at the FIFA U-20 World Cup holding in Poland.’’

    Well said, Rohr. Good to know that NFF chieftains have promised to give the team all the logistics support they need. Up Nigeria!

  • WILFRED NDIDI: How Nduka Ugbade made me a toughie

    AT club and country, Leicester and Nigeria defensive midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has put in more game time than most of his teammates. In the Premier League, he has been nominated as the most successful tackler raking 138 successful tackles ahead of Idrissa Gueye and N’Golo Kante.

    In 2018, he was Leicester’s best young player and in the whole of Europe ranked the best young central midfielder. The prestigious France Football further named him among Africa Team of the Year. The list has Mohamed Salah and Mane Sadio among the Top 11.

    His consistency and toughness has earned him repeated invitations to the Super Eagles, and was part of every minute of the green and white World Cup campaign in Russia.

    At Leicester, while coaches have come and gone, Ndidi has remained a standing force in the middle of the pack. He is only absent when carded or injured.

    What Ndidi lacks in size and maturity (He is only 22), he has aplenty in inner strength and right attitude.

    “I never knew I could be called upon to be the strongman of any team because I have always been a small guy. In my youth club, I used to play as a defender but I was tiny and felt I needed to build up muscle,” he said of his budding teenage years.

    Two people, he said, influenced his career greatly and have made a difference in how he has turned out and what he has accomplished in about four years of professional football. He used to see himself as a lily-livered tiny footballer, but all that changed when he met ex-international and captain of Nigeria’s 1985 U16 team, Uduka Ugbade.

    It was Ugbade who fired him up and remodelled him into a man of steel.

    His childhood coach, who he affectionately called Coach Paulo throughout the online interview, he said, he owes his transformation and toughness to.

    “Coach Paulo is solely responsible for my toughness. He used to coach my youth team in the Army Barracks in Lagos when I was a teenager. He was such a hard worker that if you are not tough, you will run away. But he used to tell us that we would thank him later. Many of my mates ran away, but he would take some of us aside and tell us that what we needed was to be mentally tough and that size does not matter.”

    The skinny Ndidi almost quit. “At a point, I was tired and felt I could not go on given the tough training with him (Ugbade). It wasn’t normal training, he would push us beyond limit. He would ask us to keep running even when you were tired. ‘Just keep going’. There would be three sessions a day: morning, afternoon and evening. Most of the other players didn’t come because they were scared and couldn’t cope. But he kept pushing me and pushing me, saying that I should not worry about my age and that in football you could beat anybody.”

    That work ethic, he added, has helped him tremendously. “I am not afraid of any training regimen. I find the hardest of training comfortable and push more than any other player and that has helped me tremendously. I find that managers also love those who work hard in training.”

    The second man in his life he met at Leicester. N’Golo Kante. The diminutive strongman influenced Leicester’s English Premiership win and France’s World Cup victory in Russia.

    “When I transferred to Leicester, I was to understudy Kante. I had never worked with a stronger player and he taught me many things about defensive midfield. I am a keen learner and he impacted the mental belief in me that I could better his performance if I keep my head down. Kante is the man.”

    Ndidi returned to Nigeria last week for the Nations Cup final qualifying match against Seychelles and international friendly against Egypt and, again, he did not disappoint.

    “It’s great to play for the country again. We have a youthful team that share similar sentiment. We all want to play out our hearts for fatherland. That is what we need to do well,” added Ndidi.

    Meanwhile, Ndidi has spoken to TAIWO ALIMI on his humble beginning, his childhood team, Genk, English Premiership and playing for Nigeria.

    GROWING UP

    My father is a soldier, so I grew up in the military barracks. My father was always away on military mission and in his absence, I found football. Though he did not like me playing football whenever he was around; he was strict. He would tell me that football cannot take the place of education. I’m happy when he was away because I had ample time to play football. He never wanted me to play football. He wanted to make sure I was at school. Whenever he went anywhere I was, like: ‘Right, I’m going to play.’

    Along the way, Coach Ugbade saw me and took interest in me and I became one of his favourite students. By the time Ugbade was through with me and I got into Nath Boys’ Academy, I was ready for the world. I played many games for Nath Boys and due to my upbringing I always put my all in every matches, be it friendly or competition.

    Nath Boys also helped me grow into a team player. We knew ourselves from home, we grew up together; we had the opportunity to go to school together and we won the Academy league. It was amazing, and I keep in touch with my teammates and the chairman still. Most of the guys I played with are in the Nigerian league now. I always look out for what the fixtures are coming up for Nath Boys and their results. Unfortunately, I don’t get the chance to go back a lot now to see the new generation of kids coming through because of how busy our schedule is in England.

    In one of those competitions, a foreign scout was around and that was how I was invited for trial with Genk in Belgium. I played well and from the back initiated a goal, which impressed the foreign scout.

    Ugbade also took me to the Nigeria U17 team and that must have impressed Genk that offered me a contract when I was 17 and formalised it as soon as I turned 18.

    GENK

    Genk was a bit tough. I came to the club under a coach that wanted result from me quickly and he was not patient about it. I received the drill quite well, but sometimes I was under extreme pressure to deliver and that led to making mistakes.

    But I had help from the trainers and I soon realised I didn’t have to become a new player because I was playing in a new position, I didn’t have to copy anyone else.  That helped me realise I just needed to play my own way and how I feel comfortable.

    But that soon passed and I began to show what I am capable of doing and Leicester came for me. All the while, I did not know that big clubs where monitoring my progress, and that was how Leicester came for me.

    I was to understudy Kante. I had never worked with a stronger player and he taught me many things about defensive midfield. I am a keen learner and he impacted the mental belief in me that I could better his performance if I keep my head down. Kante is the man.

    Claudio Ranieri had done great for the team and I was beginning to enjoy his great experience when he was sacked. That was a big shock to many of us. Then, Craig Shakespeare stepped in. He’s a great coach too. He has a way of calming players and at the same time getting the best out of them. He’s a great tactician too.

    I also met country-mate Ahmed Musa here and that helped me to quickly settle down. Musa helped me a lot. He called me and advised me to come to England and helped me to settle in nicely when I eventually arrived in England. He made me feel at home. I remember when he was not making the team, he would offer to take me to the airport. He is such a great player and friend.

    THE VAN VLIERDENS

    The Van Vlierdens took me in when I first arrived Belgium and I won’t forget the impact they made in my life. They made the transition from Nigeria to Belgium so good that I did not feel that I was missing family life. In-fact it was difficult for me leaving Belgium because they were family and have remained my family even till date.

    I have always enjoyed a family setting and that is one of the reasons that I play well. It keeps me stable and focused. At Nath Boys, we were family and real close to Genk and my new family in Belgium.

    I had same mentality when I got to Leicester and that I had Ahmed helped me a lot. In no time, I had found another close-knit family and that helped me enjoy my game and life in England. They are always there for me and I love to do things for them too. It makes me to lock down my focus on football and what I need to do on the pitch knowing that this is my family. It is one of the things that keep me going.

    SUPER EAGLES

    It’s great to play for the country again. We have a youthful team and share similar sentiment to give our all for fatherland. That is what we need to do well. I can’t explain how proud I am to wear the colours of Nigeria. Every player wants to put on the shirt of their country, so many people look for this opportunity – the entire population in Nigeria would love to be able to do this. I couldn’t believe I would be at the World Cup for my nation. It’s amazing. The welcome we got in Russia was amazing. We were given a rousing welcome and that is special. We had a good tournament. And it’s not just about going to participate; it’s not about being happy that we are part of the World Cup. It is about showing that we can hold our shoulder high among other countries.

    THE PREMIERSHIP HONOURS

    I’m not playing for the hype, though it feels good to know that I am doing well for my club. I’ve always wanted to put up my best for team and country and so I ignore the hype and everything people say about me – that’s not important. Doing my job well is important. It’s a great thing that we’re doing well, because there are so many good European players, so as an African, you have to do extra. The English Premier League is one of the most competitive in the world and the destination of many soccer stars. In Africa, all youngsters want to play here and I’m happy that we are not doing badly. The continent is well represented and we have accomplished much. I love especially what Salah is doing here and it gives the rest of us the confidence to want to do more. It is all for the team. If the team is doing good, it means I’m doing a good job. I love to enjoy the game and play more for the team. I just flow with the tide and do not want to put too much pressure on myself.

  • Ndidi, Iheanacho to get Kolo Toure touch at Leicester

     

    Super Eagles duo of Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho are set to enjoy some professional pep talk from their African brother Kolo Toure after the Ivorian international joined Leicester City as Assistant Coach.

    The former Manchester City and Liverpool ace moved from Celtic alongside new Foxes manager Brendan Rogers.  The switch is coming just few days after Leicester City parted ways with former manager Claude Puel.

    Touré, won two premier league titles with Arsenal and Manchester City respectively, also won the African Cup of Nations with the Elephants in 2015 with over 100 caps for Ivory coast. The 37 year old will be bringing his wealth of experience to bear on the new job.

    With his retirement from international football only less than four years ago it is expected that his interactions with the two Nigerians and other players will be an instant connect as they will be on the same page.

    While Ndidi was a regular under former manager Puel, same cannot be said of Iheanacho who most times had to start from the bench with minimal playing time.

    Both players will be hoping to earn regular action as the duo of Rogers and Toure step in. The two Eagles in the pay roll of Leicester have made a combined 121 appearances for the Foxes since 2017 when they moved to King Power Stadium from Genk and Manchester City respectively.

  • Ndidi scores in Leicester home defeat

    Nigeria international Wilfred Ndidi scored a 58th minute goal for Leicester Saturday but it did not prevent the foxes from losing at home to visiting Southampton.

    The visitors had shot into the lead as early as the 11th minute of the game as Ward-Prowse converted a penalty for the visitors. Shane Long increased the tally for Southampton just before the end of the first 45 minutes.

    Nidid’s goal raised hope for Leicester fans who remained optimistic that the team could consolidate afterwards and even pull a victory, but that was not to be as the Saints held their ground while defending their lead tenaciously despite the foxes dominance with 57% to 43% possession ratio.

    The day did not fair any better for Arsenal forward Alex Iwobi who saw 90 minutes action against West Ham. West Ham scored the only goal of the match in the 48th minutes thanks to Declan Rice.

    It was Arsenal who started the stronger, with Alexandre Lacazette forcing a 13th-minute save out of Lukasz Fabianski with a low shot, after his driving run from Alex Iwobi’s pass had taken him beyond the penalty spot.

    Iwobi and his teammate though hard working with intent to carry the day failed on several occasions to clear from a set piece and were made to pay as Rice showed admirable technique and composure to bend the ball beyond Leno from 15 yards out, Nasri registering the assist on his first Premier League appearance since August 2016.

    Fourteen-goal top-scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came to close to cancelling the goal with strike that unfortunately went above the bar.

    Leicester have a trip to Wolves next Saturday while Southampton play Derby County in their FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday before hosting Everton on Saturday.

  • Ndidi returns to light training as Medics keep close tab

     

    * To miss remaining friendly matches

    * Sure to make squad to Russia

    Super Eagles and Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, has flagged off light training after picking up a hamstring injury at Crystal Palace in April.

    The Super Eagles midfielder was forced off after 51 minutes of play as the King Power Stadium outfit were outmuscled by Roy Hodson side, giving Coach Gernot Rohr something to worry about ahead of the FIFA World Cup which kicks off June 14 in Russia.

    But, the 21 year old took to the social media Monday to announce his return to training.

    ’’A sunny day to recuperate’’, the former Genk star dished out via  his twitter handle @Ndidi25 with accompanying picture of his light training, an indication that he is eager to return to the pitch.

    Despite his personal conviction about his gradual return to fitness, National team medics continue to maintain close monitoring of the Nigeria international.

    .Super Eagles Media Officer Toyin Ibitoye in an exclusive chat with sportinglife.ng Monday, said the Medical team want the former Genk midfielder to have enough rest and recover fully for the Mundial where Nigeria will face Croatia, Iceland and Argentina in the Group stage. He confirmed that Ndidi is likely to miss all the remaining friendly matches leading to the world cup he will nonetheless be part of the squad to Russia.

    ” Ndidi is recovering and the medical team are keeping a close watch on him.  They want him to have enough rest while recuperating so as to be in the best of shape for the world cup. Although he will be missing the remaining friendly matches including the tie against England and Czech Republic, but he is definitely in the world cup plan,” he said

    Initial report after the injury had indicated that the Nigeria international will be out of action for at least six weeks.

    World cup bound Super Eagles who have so far played quality friendly matches against Argentina, Poland and Serbia are set to engage Congo Dr in yet another friendly on the May 28 in Port Harcourt.  Other friendly matches just before the Gernot Rohr tutored side hit Russia will be against England at the wembley on June 2nd and Czech Republic on June 6.

  • Ndidi sees red in Leicester defeat.

    Ndidi sees red in Leicester defeat.

     

    It was double headache for Nigerian international Wilfred Ndidi Saturday as Leicester suffered a 3-0 defeat to business minded Crystal Palace, at the King Power Stadium.

    The defeat was not the only pain the Nigerian and his team had to suffer as he  equally saw red in the 61st minute of the game after double yellow cards first for diving and the secondly for rough tackle on Ruben Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Compatriot Kelechi Iheanacho was an unused substitute. Christian Benteke opened the flood gate for the visitors in the 19th minute after a timely assist from Andros Townsend. Benteke again provided the assist in the 40th minute which Wilfred Saha did not hesitate to convert. Leicester mounted pressure thereafter desperate to reduce the tally to no avails. The situation was rather compounded for the homers when Bakary Sako who came in as 88th minute substitute for Christian Benteke registered his name in the score sheet in the fourth minute of added time. The defeat marks the first for Leicester in five premier league matches.  The side prior to Saturday’s bashing had recorded four wins in four matches including two away victories against Southampton and Newcastle. Crystal Palace on the other hand have now recorded three victories in six matches losing none and pulling three draws.

    For Ndidi who incidentally turned 21 Saturday, victory at the King Power Stadium would have served as perfect birthday gift but with three goal bashing and a red card in the kitty,  it is likely  that the Super Eagles forward will settle for a low key celebration.

  • Leicester win: Ndidi goes philosophical

    Leicester win: Ndidi goes philosophical

     

    Super Eagles forward midfielder Wilfred Ndidi gladly went philosophical Saturday after Leicester City earned a vital 1-2 away win at the expense of Swansea City.  Ndidi who has world cup ticket in the kitty following Super Eagles qualification for Russia 2018, addressed the three points garnered by the embattled former league champions as if it were a human being in his submission shortly after the match.”Hey 3 points, it’s good to have you here. Hope to have you next time. Cheers!!!!,” he enthused.

    Ndidi played for the entire full 90 minutes with Leicester City posting 45 % possession as against Swansea’s 55%.  Same cannot be said of compatriots Kelechi Iheanacho and Ahmed Musa.  While Iheanacho was put on the reserve bench, Musa was not dressed for the match. Interestingly Algerian international

    Riyad Mahrez who is likely to face Super Eagles in the last world cup qualifier billed for Algiers  November 5, also saw 87 minutes action for Leicester posting an impressive performance and setting up both Leicester City’s goals to ensure first premier league win since August 19.

    Ndidi got an impressive 6.5 rating with Mahrez posting 7.5 performance rating.

    Under the stewardship of Michael Appleton, who was placed in temporary charge following Shakepeare’s departure on Tuesday, the three points took the visitors out of the relegation zone.

    A rejuvenated Mahrez was directly involved in Leicester’s goals at the Liberty Stadium, sending in the cross that led to Federico Fernandez heading into his own net in the 25th minute for the opener.

    Shinji Okazaki doubled their lead with a close-range finish from Mahrez’s cushioned pass early in the second half, although Leicester’s two-goal advantage didn’t last for long.

    Alfie Mawson’s volleyed finish on the turn in the 56th minute gave Swansea hope, but Paul Clement’s side could not find an equaliser and have now lost four of their five home league outings this season.

  • Ndidi’s award excites Amiesimaka

    Ndidi’s award excites Amiesimaka

    Ex-Green Eagles Winger, Adokiye Amiesimaka, says recent young player award bestowed on Wilfred Ndidi by English Premiership Club, Leicester, is a big plus for Nigerian football.

    Ndidi, 20, a Super Eagles midfielder and former Nigerian youth international, joined the EPL side from Genk FC of Belgium.

    Amiesimaka told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone from Port Harcourt on Wednesday that the award by the former league champions showed that Ndidi was a top quality player.

    “For him to be given such an award by Leicester who won the Premier League only last season is obviously a plus.

    “It means he is a top quality player and its impact on us here is good, by virtue of the fact that he is a member of the national team,’’ he said.

    Amiesimaka, former Chairman, Sharks FC of Port Harcourt, said the award was also an indication that Nigerian football had a quality player in one of the best organised leagues in the world.

    “Even more importantly is what we’ll do with that plus, how do we make the most of that in the national team and how will it benefit us?’’ he said.

    He said that the derivation of the award should be translated to his optimal use in the national team to achieve good results in major national and international matches.

    Amiesimaka said that the welfare of Ndidi and other members of the national team should be a priority to excel in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and Russia 2018 World Cup qualifying matches.

    NAN reports that Ndidi started his career playing for the Lagos-based Nath Boys Academy in the Lagos Junior League (J-League) and won numerous accolades.

    He then played as a central defender for Nigeria’s youth team, the Golden Eaglets in 2013 for the African U-17 Championship.

    He later played for the Manu Garba U-20 youth team of Nigeria that played in the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.

    Ndidi was called up to the Senior Nigeria team, the Super Eagles, on Oct. 8, 2015, making his debut in the friendly game against DR Congo.

    He also played again a few days later in the 3-0 win against Cameroon, when he replaced Mikel Obi in the 63rd minutes.

    He was selected by Nigeria for their 35-man provisional squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

     

  • Ndidi on target for Leicester, Musa still missing

    Ndidi on target for Leicester, Musa still missing

    Nigeria international Wilfred Ndidi grabbed a 38th minute goal to shoot premier league defending champions Leicester into the lead on Saturday as they beat Watford 3-0.

    Ndidi who was in action for the entire duration of the match, has been enjoying regular playing time at King Power Stadium.

    Saturday’s tie saw the Nigeria international rise to the occasion in front of 31,628 spectators.

    Algeria international Riyad Mahrez consolidated on Ndidi’s achievement when he grabbed Leicester’s second goal in the 58th minute Marc Albrighton scored the third goal to finally put the match out the reach of the visitors.

    Watford’s defence was creaking badly and just before half-time it broke. Danny Drinkwater’s cross was not cleared by Etienne Capoue and Ndidi took full advantage to score his third goal of the season for Leicester.

    That was far the visitors could go in terms of threat while Leicester were rampant. Christian Fuchs went close with a free kick but somehow the lead stayed at one.

    Then Mahrez, always a threat, took advantage as Mariappa failed to take the opportunity to clear. The Leicester wide man started his waltzing and, suddenly, there was Heurelho Gomes picking the ball out of the net.

    Albrighton, also excellent, finished the rout from a squared ball from Vardy.

    The duo of Ahmed Musa and Isaac Success though listed were not used by Leicester and Watford respectively.

  • Ndidi: I’m 200% with Leicester City

    Ndidi: I’m 200% with Leicester City

    Super Eagles and Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has denied reports linking him to a possible transfer to Manchester United.

    An online website, ‘Own Goal Nigeria’ , had on Thursday claimed that the 20-year-old would ask for a transfer away from the King Power Stadium if the Red Devils came calling, quoting Hakeem Bello, a ‘friend of Ndidi’s agent’.

    However, the £15m January signing categorically denied the reports on his twitter account @Ndidi25, saying he is “200 per cent” committed to the Foxes.

    The Nigeria international also denied knowledge of anybody called Hakeem Bello who claimed to be his agent’s friend.

    “Please be informed this information is not true, I’m 200% with Leicester and I don’t know this person called Hakeem Bello.” Ndidi tweeted.

    Ndidi has impressed City fans and pundits since his arrival from Genk, providing steel in the centre of the park alongside Danny Drinkwater, and popping up with two excellent strikes against Derby and Stoke.