William Troost-Ekong was last invited to the Super Eagles squad by coach Peseiro in September for the AFCON qualifier against Sao Tome and Principe.
Super Eagles coach, Jose Vitor Peseiro has opted to leave team vice-captain, William Troost-Ekong out of his squad for the November International break, and the reason has been revealed, Soccernet.ng reports.
The PAOK centre-back was last invited in September, but he didn’t play as he watched from the bench how the Super Eagles tore Sao Tome and Principe apart.
Since then, he hasn’t been invited for any of the Super Eagles games during the international break, stirring up questions amongst fans, who are keen to know why their vice-captain has been omitted from the squad list.
According to Sports Ration, there was a rift between Peseiro and Williams Troost-Ekong after the 6-0 win against Sao Tome and Principe at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium.
Ekong is said to have confronted Peseiro with questions regarding substitutions in the match. The defender was not comfortable with the decision to send on right-back Tyrone Ebuehi instead of a first cap for Gent’s Jordan Torunarigha.
The 30-year-old was seen signalling to the bench while warming up behind the post for the then-uncapped duo Raphael Onyedika and Jordan Torunarigha to get their International debut.
The coach opted to send Tyrone Ebuehi on and then handed Raphael Onyedika a debut in Uyo, with Torunarigha making his debut the following month.
Additionally, Peseiro is said to be critical of Ekong’s inability to adapt to his system. The Portuguese prefers his central defenders to play out from the back and aid the team in the build-up.
Calvin Bassey and Semi Ajayi are Peseiro’s preferred choice to partner at the back, meaning as long as the Portuguese is in charge of the Super Eagles, Ekong might not get a chance to play.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will take on Lesotho on Thursday, 16th November, in a bid to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, after missing the last edition in Qatar.