“It’s a compliment to be compared with Kante” – Super Eagles hopeful

The midfielder is one of the players believed to be near a senior callup for Nigeria but hasn’t had opportunities until now

Alhassan Yusuf is one of the most consistent Nigerian midfielders in Europe where he plies his trade with Royal Antwerp.

Yusuf, 22, was in action for the whole duration of the game on Wednesday when Antwerp faced Union Saint Gilloise (USG).

USG also had Nigerian forward Victor Boniface in action but lost 4-2 to Antwerp who had Yusuf once again contributing greatly to the outcome of the game.

In an interview with OJBSports after the game, Yusuf spoke about his comparisons with Kante and what it means to him as a football player.

“It’s a compliment for me to be compared with Ngolo Kante. He’s a good player and we have similar playing styles.”

Why is Yusuf not in the Super Eagles?

Former Super Eagles coach, Austin Eguavoen had revealed in March that Yusuf was the box-to-box player he needed in the national team. He had at the time said he needed a Thompson Oliha or Mutiu Adepoju-esque midfielder in the team.

He said his friend in Belgium had scouted Yusuf and he planned to invite him to the national team but that’s now history.

Yusuf was also invited by the NFF for the friendly tours of the United States where Nigeria lost to Ecuador and Mexico. The midfielder was not involved however, as he couldn’t secure a visa to the US while his club participated in the playoffs.