Newly appointed Super Eagles coach Finidi George lavished praise on Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman following his remarkable performance in the UEFA Europa League final.
Lookman, 26, was in sensational form at the Aviva Stadium in Ireland, tearing through Leverkusen’s defence and scoring a hat-trick to secure the victory.
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Lookman, a key player for the Super Eagles who helped the team achieve second place at AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast with three goals, did not feature in Finidi’s friendly matches during the March international break.
Despite rumours suggesting that Finidi might not favour the former Everton winger, the coach clarified Lookman’s essential role in the squad.
Speaking at a media briefing in Lagos, Finidi expressed his admiration for Lookman and his hopes for the winger to maintain his stellar form in Nigeria’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
“I’m delighted with his performance. I sent him a message to congratulate him and I’m happy. I also reached out to Boniface and Tella to tell them they should be proud of what they did. This is a great time for Nigerians.
It’s wonderful for me as a coach. I’m happy with what he did and looking forward to him in the qualifiers,” Finidi said.
Lookman made history as the first player to score a hat-trick in a UEFA Europa League final. Meanwhile, Tella and Boniface also shone, contributing to Leverkusen’s record-breaking 51-game unbeaten streak.
Under Xabi Alonso, Leverkusen won the Bundesliga, ending Bayern Munich’s 11-year reign, and are eyeing a domestic double with the DFB Pokal final against Kaiserslautern.
Finidi confirmed that his selection for the World Cup qualifiers will largely consist of the squad from AFCON 2023, including Lookman.
He hinted at the inclusion of two to three new players and mentioned that the squad list would be finalized soon.
The Super Eagles will face South Africa on June 7 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, before travelling to Ivory Coast to play Gernot Rohr’s Benin Republic three days later.
