Izuchukwu Okosi
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England manager Gareth Southgate is desperate to deny Nigeria the chance of having Crystal Palace forward Michael Akpovie Olise play for the Super Eagles.
Nigeria eligible players like Bukayo Saka, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori have chosen to represent England under Southgate’s rein at the expense of their country of origin.
The Daily Mail has revealed that Southgate recently held a meeting with the Chelsea academy product albeit the outcome is still unknown.
Born in England to a Nigerian father and a French-Algerian mother, Olise is eligible to play for any of the four countries.
France somewhat have an edge as the twinkle-toed forward had represented the European giants at the Under 18 level.
The winger met with Eagles head coach Austin Eguavoen in London last month and is said to be open to representing Nigeria should the three-time African champions overcome Ghana’s threat and qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Olise’s teammate of Nigerian descent Eberechi Eze is also under the consideration of the English national team but had been rocked by a nagging injury that has kept him out of action for some weeks.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
