Super Falcons head coach, Randy Waldrum, has lamented the absence of Ashleigh Plumptre and Halimatu Ayinde from his Paris 2024 Olympics squad, Soccernet.ng reports.
Rosengard's Ayinde picked up an injury in training during training with the Swedish side and had to undergo surgery on her knee while Ashleigh Plumptre couldn't recover on time after getting surgery on her ankle in April.
Waldrum, who led the team to the knockout stage of the FIFA 2023 World Cup admitted losing both players is a big blow for his team but remained confident other players can step up in their absence.
“When you lose Ashleigh Plumptre and Halimatu Ayinde, they are two world-class players tough for anything to lose, especially two of them but then the thing we preach to our players all along is that somebody else has to step up and replace them, and I think we saw that with Chidinma Okeke coming in at left-back for Plumptre when she was out against Cameroon and South Africa. I think right now it’s a good thing we have some depth in midfield, players Deborah Abiodun and Toni Payne. It’s still a solid midfield. We have other players; Echegini can play in there, and Ajibade can play in there. So, even though we lose some players, we have some depth in there. It certainly has to happen; I feel bad for them for not going to the Olympics,” the American gaffer told NFF TV in quotes revealed by MSN.
The eleven-time African Champions are preparing for their Olympics campaign in Seville, Spain and the manager is impressed with the atmosphere in camp.
“The players are excited; they have been sharp and full of confidence. I like what I am seeing at this camp. It has been productive for us. The players are full of confidence coming out of the World Cup; they know they can face the best teams in the world, and that is the biggest improvement I have seen from that time until this time. The good thing about having a national team is having experienced players and the young ones coming up to replace them when ready. Right now, we have a good blend of experienced players and young ones, and I think they are going to have a great future with the team,” the 67-year-old manager added
The Super Falcons will take on the reigning Olympic Champions, Canada, in a closed-door friendly today, and the coach highlighted his team's focus.
“Against Canada, we will go into the match to give a good performance, irrespective of the results. We are also aware that some players are coming back from injury, so we will allow some players to see what they can do at the Olympics. Canada are Olympic champions, so we expect a tough match, and the girls are ready. We are in a tough group at the Olympics. We have Brazil, Japan, and world-champion Spain. It’s a very difficult group, but our girls will be ready to compete,” the coach concluded.
Nigeria kick-off their Olympic campaign against Brazil on July 25 before taking on Spain on July 28. They’ll wrap up the group stage against Japan on July 31.
