One time Nigeria Super Eagles goalkeeper, Ike Shorunmu has said that the inability of some of the Nigerian Professional Football League players to share their experiences gains of playing with the senior national team with their colleagues in the league has affected their progress in the senior national team.
It has been a phenomenon for some time now that players of the NPFL get called up for nation assignment which has contributed to the development of the league but this has been counterproductive to some of the players themselves.
Shorunmu stated this on the backdrop of the continuous call for the inclusion of home-based players in the Super Eagles ahead of the team’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against the Squirrels of Benin and Crocodile of Lesotho on March 27 and March 30 respectively.
Amidst covid19, some of the foreign-based players may have been forced to pull out of the make or mar encounters by their clubs in Europe due to Covid-19 travel restrictions that could make the players be quarantined for two weeks and possibly miss crucial matches with the season gradually coming to a close.
The one-time sensational Super Eagles shut stopper, in a chat with a Lagos Based radio station, has advocated the inclusion of the home-based players to the Super Eagles if the need arises but warned them to be humble and share their experience with their NPFL colleagues.
“Most of the home-based players will be showing to their coaches that they are more than them which is not right because the coaches that called you, saw you from the clubs and if you are not good in your club side, the national team coach will not invite you in the first place so, whatever thing you are getting in the national team, when you go back, share with your teammates.”
The former goalkeeper trainer of the super eagles expresses satisfaction in the quality of players the league is now producing. Shorunmu was former Heartland of Owerri and Enyimba of Aba goalkeeper trainer.
