George Ilenikhena: Inside a CIES index naming eight Nigerian U21s

Super Eagles forward George Ilenikhena is one of eight Nigeria-eligible players in the CIES Football Observatory's new study of under-21s who outperform their team-mates, with the Al-Ittihad striker posting a finishing score of 1.81.

The study, reported by Pulse Nigeria on Saturday, covers outfield players under 21 in 65 competitions around the world who have played more than 450 minutes, and was built with the football data company Impect.

It is not a list of the world's best young players. Each player is measured against the average of his own team-mates, so a score of 1.00 means he performs at his team's level and anything higher means he stands out.

Ilenikhena's numbers, and the man ahead of him

Ilenikhena's overall index is 1.48. His finishing score of 1.81 is his strongest category, ahead of chance creation (1.46) and aerial attack (1.30), while his ground defence registers 0.00.

He is not the top Nigerian-eligible name, though. That honour goes to Philip Onyedika of Slovak side MFK Skalica, whose overall index of 1.53 is the highest in the group.

Kparobo Arierhi, a former Remo Stars academy prospect, is third of the eight on 1.44, with finishing (1.56), aerial attack (1.45) and take-ons (1.29) his best areas.

The other five named are Emmanuel Chigozie of Jong Utrecht, Kelechi Nnamdi of Sturm Graz II, Ifeanyi Ndukwe of Levante, the Israel-based Andrew Idoko and Oghenetejiri Adejenughure of FC Liefering.

Analysis: What the index says about Nigeria's next wave

The method rewards players who carry their teams, so the profile of the Nigerian group is telling. The three with published scores all stand out most in attacking categories rather than defensive ones.

Ilenikhena's split is the clearest example. A 1.81 finishing score against a 0.00 in ground defence describes a pure penalty-box striker, and that is the role open to him in the Super Eagles while Victor Osimhen recovers, as the No. 9 race has shown.

The list also points to how scattered the next generation is. Slovakia, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain and Israel are all represented, which gives Eric Chelle's staff a wide map to follow, much as the call for Slavia Prague teenager Mubarak Suleiman showed this month.

A relative index is not a cap-winning argument on its own, but for Onyedika and Arierhi in particular it is the kind of number that should put their names on the NFF's radar before March.