The Sparta Rotterdam shot-stopper only arrived camp on Wednesday morning, and that could see him lose his place in the starting lineup
Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has revealed that he is unsure if Okoye will be in goal for Nigeria’s 2022 World Cup Qualifier against the Central African Republic on Thursday evening.
Okoye has been the Super Eagles first-choice goalkeeper in the last 12 months, with Francis Uzoho and Daniel Akpeyi acting as able replacements.
However, he could lose his spot on Thursday after he arrived at camp on Wednesday morning. The 21-year-old is the last player to arrive and missed the team’s training session on Tuesday evening.
Although the Super Eagles will have another training session before the big clash on Thursday, Rohr hinted that Okoye’s late arrival could see him lose his spot in the team.
“I am not sure that he will start the game. We have two other goalkeepers,” Rohr told the media at his press conference.
“Everybody believes that it will be an easy victory, it’s not an easy match, and when players are arriving late like this, it is not helping us when we say we have to be serious.
Rohr was also disappointed with Okoye’s late arrival, saying provisions were made for him to arrive on time.
“He did one training session this morning in the gym. Then he will do another training session this afternoon.”
“I spoke with him. He knows that it is not good. They were trying to have a good flight for him to come early, he missed it.”
“They have to learn to be really serious when they come to the national team,” Rohr added.
Okoye is yet to keep a clean sheet for Sparta Rotterdam this season, but he impressed in the 2-1 loss to PSV, making a whopping nine saves.
However, should he miss out on the starting lineup for Thursday’s clash, Francis Uzoho is likely to come in to replace him.
The Super Eagles host Les Fauves at the Teslim Balogun Stadium on Thursday, with the return leg set for October 10 in Douala.
