A former international, Brown Ideye, has said Super Eagles need captain Ahmed Musa and Kenneth Omeruo to lead them to victory at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The 2013 AFCON winner made it known while speaking during a media interaction on X (formerly known as twitter) and monitored by our correspondent.
According to him, the present squad lacks discipline and passion and should learn from the duo of Musa and Omeruo how they won the 2013 edition.
“We have players, but we don’t have a team. This team lacks discipline and passion for the country. I’m not sure they can win in Cote d’Ivoire.
“They should all gather in the room of Ahmed Musa and discuss with him and Kenneth Omeruo. They need Musa and Omeruo to tell them how we conquered Africa in 2013.
“The discipline, the sacrifices, and how we fought and tasked ourselves when everyone had given up on us,” he said.
Ideye pushed for players from the local league to be part of the national team while denouncing calls for older players like Musa and Omeruo to be excluded from the team.
“We all came from the same league, there are quality players in the NPFL. In 2013, we didn’t look down on them. We were all equal and fought for the country. Sunday Mba was the hero from the League, and this is what Keshi was able to build.
“We push out our players early. Ronaldo is still playing for Portugal, why should Ahmed Musa be left out of this AFCON?
“Musa and Omeruo are the oldest players in the team and only the two players from the last squad that won the AFCON, these are leaders we need in the team. The younger players must be respectful to follow their leadership,” he added.