“I’m here to stay” – Nassarawa United defender vows to fight for Super Eagles place

Newest Super Eagles invitee, Victor Collins, has vowed to give his all to remain in the Nigerian National team after earning his first call-up, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 24-year-old has been regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the Nigerian Professional Football League and his consistent performances has seen him earn a call-up to the Super Eagles ahead of their AFCON qualifiers against Rwanda and the Republic of Benin.

The Nassarawa United left-footed centre-back is very good on the ball, and coach Eguavoen revealed that was one of the reasons he was invited, for his ability to play out from the back without breaking a sweat. He is the only NPFL player Eguavoen’s 23-man squad for the upcoming AFCON qualifiers.

Speaking about how it feels to be invited to the national team, the former Remo Stars man was thrilled to have gotten the opportunity, and vowed to give his all to remain in the team.

“It’s a privilege for me to be here. Just imagine watching players like Osimhen and Iwobi on TV in the Premier League or Turkish League, and now, I’m here in camp, and meeting them to be teammates.

It’s a very good development for me and I need to learn from them and also put in more effort. If I was giving 110% before, I need to give 150% now.

My mentality is always about winning; I don’t settle for less. By the special grace of God, I’m here to stay,” the versatile defender told Brila.

Nigeria will play against the Republic of Benin on Thursday at the Stade Félix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire, with kick-off time slated for 8:00 PM WAT, before they return home to play against Rwanda on Monday.