U-17 AFCON: Golden Eaglets’ star likened to Ndidi is making ‘good impression’ on scouts in Algeria

The Golden Eaglets recently advanced to the quarterfinals, owing to the tenacity of the youthful teams assembled by Nduka Ugbade

Golden Eaglets star, Ajibola Owoyemi, has been making positive impressions on scouts present at the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Algeria, Soccernet.ng understands.

In his past three games for Nduka Ugbade’s team in the 2023 U-17 AFCON competition, the Nigerian youngster has effectively commanded the Nigeria Under-17 midfield.

Following this, his agent at the 14th edition of the biennial international youth competition informed soccernet.ng that the young player made a good impression in his debut for Nigeria against Zambia.

The 16-year-old, who is sporting jersey number 25 for the Nigerian team in Algeria, was instrumental in Ugbade’s troop’s Group B games, where they won two games, lost one and earned 6 points to qualify for the quarterfinals.

The Tripple 44 academy player, who has been likened to Leicester City’s defensive midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi has paired well with his colleague Hope Linus and has made it harder for opponents to break through their defence.

According to Martin Klette, who conversed with Soccernet.ng, the wonderkid had a strong debut against Zambia and other games player and impressed scouts in attendance.

“On his first game against Zambia, he made a very good impression,” he remarked.

His Swedish representative, speaking further, revealed that his skills and techniques have drawn more attention, which is obvious that he understands football.

Martin added: “Clubs that are in here [Algeria], got a very positive impression of him. They could see that he is well-skilled, and they could see that he has a very good technique. With one or two touches, you can see that he is a very intelligent player who understands football.” 

Soccernet.ng asked his agent, who has a lengthy history in the sports management industry, where we may see Ajibola playing soon. He was guarded with his words, but he guaranteed that he had been prepared to play in European leagues soon.

“I have been in the business for a very long time, and as a Lawyer as well, I am always careful of what i say. But I can assure you that with Ajibola’s abilities and techniques, he will soon be able to compete in Europe.

“However, it is impossible to predict whether it will be in France, England, or Spain. The timing is important,” he said.

The U-17 World Cup is scheduled to take place later this year, and the Nigerian u-17 national team will face Burkina Faso on Thursday. Ajibola, however, will be hoping to lead his squad to victory to earn tickets for the event.