Coach of the Nigeria U-17 team, Manu Garba said he hasn’t close the door on Dutch-Nigerian teen prospect, Lateef Omidiji Junior despite omitting him from his squad for the recently concluded Africa U-17 Cup of Nations.
Nigeria finished fourth at the tournament held in Tanzania to book a place at the U-17 World Youth Championship, which would be taking place in Brazil and plans to overhaul the squad had been revealed by coach Manu Garba.
In an exclusive chat with Owngoalnigeria.com, the coach said Dutch-Nigerian forward, Lateef Omidiji Junior and others, who were unfortunate to miss out on selection for the Africa U-17 Championship would be considered, when camping resumes for the World Youth Championship.
He, however, said search was also on for more options from players who were not with the team due to the forced omission of some players from the team due to the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test, which claimed several of his regulars.
“We have to build with what we have, but also beam our search on players, who were with us before naming the squad. Lateef is definitely going to get another chance alongside others, but we will also scout around Nigeria for talented players to beef up the team before the World Youth Championship.”