The Genk striker was called up yesterday for Nigeria's Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers this month, but he was not on the original list
Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr has revealed he omitted Paul Onuachu from his initial 24-man list because he knows the striker's abilities.
Last week, Rohr released a list of 24 players for Nigeria's upcoming Afcon qualifiers against The Benin Republic and Lesotho at the end of March.
Familiar names were included, but Onuachu's omission caused massive outrage among Nigerian football fans. The Genk striker is Nigeria's best striker in Europe this season, having scored 27 times in 29 games this season.
Although he has struggled in games he has played for Nigeria, his omission still came as a surprise to many. But Rohr has now clarified why he decided to leave the 26-year-old out of his squad.
The former Bordeaux coach revealed he left out the ex-Midtjylland striker because he wants to try out new players.
“It is because I want to see somebody else,” Rohr told ESPN Africa. “We saw him already, we know him, we know his strengths.
“He was a little bit unlucky each time when he has to play. It is the last moment before the World Cup qualifiers that we can test somebody else, so we choose Sadiq Umar.”
However, Onuachu will get another chance to impress Rohr after he was called up to replace Nantes winger Moses Simon.
Not everyone is a national team player.Paul Onuachu’s performance for the Super Eagles is anything but good.Poor ball control ,poor interplay with his teammates characterized his performance with the Super Eagles.I support Gernort Rohr’s decision to try other players playing in that same position.