Tolu Arokodare: ‘I need to score goals,’ says Ajax man before Tanzania

Super Eagles striker Tolu Arokodare says scoring is simply his job for Nigeria, and the Ajax forward will lead the line against Tanzania in Uyo on Friday with Victor Osimhen absent after knee surgery.

Arokodare, 25, has 13 goals across the Dutch league and the UEFA Conference League this season, a return that has made him the obvious replacement for the injured Osimhen in Eric Chelle's attack.

Speaking to reporters in Uyo, and in a video posted on Instagram, the striker was blunt about what is expected of him in a Group L qualifier Nigeria need to win.

As a striker, I need to score goals. That's my job for the team.

He added that he saw Friday as important because of how the last international window ended, a 3-0 defeat away to Guinea-Bissau that left Nigeria second in the group.

I think it's very important for me to use whatever opportunity I get.

The club form and the Nigeria return

The contrast between club and country is the story of Arokodare's year. Thirteen goals in Amsterdam have come alongside a longer wait for a goal in the green and white, something he was asked about directly in Uyo.

In his words, that drought is something he is working on mentally and physically. It is an unusually frank answer from a forward who has spent the autumn scoring almost every week, including in the Conference League at FC Midtjylland and against Atalanta.

Chelle has other options. Ademola Lookman, Akor Adams and Taiwo Awoniyi are all in the 24-man squad, and Adams started the friendly against Russia last month.

Analysis: Why the Ajax version of Arokodare is the one Nigeria need

Thirteen goals in a season is a volume return, not a hot streak, and it points to a striker who gets into scoring positions often rather than one living off half-chances. Against a Tanzania side that has already qualified as co-hosts and can afford to defend deep, that willingness to keep arriving in the box matters more than a single moment of quality.

The caution is that club form has not yet transferred. A player who admits the drought is on his mind is also a player under pressure to end it quickly, and the first clear chance of the evening may tell us which version turns up.

If Arokodare scores, Nigeria's No. 9 question for the rest of this campaign starts to answer itself. If he does not, the case for Kelechi Iheanacho and the other contenders only grows louder before Tuesday's return in Tanzania.

Our full Nigeria vs Tanzania preview has the team news, and kick-off in Uyo is at 17:00 WAT.