Super Eagles interim coach Austin Eguavoen says the team is still assisting striker Sadiq Umar in adjusting to the pace and rigors of African football.
Umar, who has made two substitute appearances in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations tournament, has largely impressed the technical staff, with several media reports claiming that Eguavoen has made up his mind about him.
The forward has only played 28 minutes in Cameroon, but Eguavoen defended the 24-year-old Almeria player, saying he was new to African football but was adapting well.
He made his senior debut for Nigeria against Egypt last Tuesday, six years after finishing as joint top scorer for the Nigerian U-23 team with four goals at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
“He (Umar) needs to adapt to our style of play and African football,” Eguavoen said.
“He is a good player and I believe he will integrate well into the team before the next game.
“He definitely has had a bit of fallout with that physically. It’s something we are trying to help him deal with. The expectations around him – you have to put context into the story. Sadiq’s talent is undoubted. Giving him the time to adapt is crucial.”
“We have seen players in the past, didn’t really adapt, played elsewhere and absolutely lit it up to unbelievable levels.”
“We need to give them that time and I am there to help him.“He is a different player from Taiwo Awoniyi and Peter Olayinka, which gives us some options in attack and each of them gets certain instructions on how to help the team win games, which is the most important thing.”
