A UEFA-licensed coach and former Super Eagles star, Peter Ijeh, has expressed concern as the English Football Association continues to call up Nigeria-eligible players.
No fewer than twelve players with Nigerian roots have been invited to various England youth national teams, All Nigeria Soccer reports. Coach Liam Bramley named four Nigerian teenagers, Trevan Sanusi, Saheed Olagunju, Callum Olusesi, and Chukwuemeka Adiele, as his England U18 squad prepares for the trip to Valencia.
Tyrique George and Ethan Nwaneri, who made their full debuts for Chelsea and Arsenal, respectively, this season, have also been named in the England U19s team.
Former Super Eagles star Ijeh suggested that talent identification is a long-term examination and that when chance and opportunity are not taken, someone else will grab them.
Ijeh told Legit.ng:
“Players develop at different rates and their performance trajectory is non-linear.
“Talent identification is a long-term examination and monitoring process, where current performance and future potential are influenced, monitored and recorded in a database until maturation....Read Full Article [Click Here>]
“Whatever one fails to manage.. You lose. Soccer is time , chance and opportunity. Missing a time, someone else will grab it. We will see more of that if measures aren’t taken.”
The tactician added that modern soccer demands FAS with the technical know-how of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) foundation, as per Football Hub.
He added:
“I believe in this present dispensation of modern soccer, all FA’s and the technical department must have equipped their system and get familiar with the EPPP system.
“Elite Player Performance Plan are foundations set to aid networking & monitoring of talent.
“The 4-corners are; technical, physical, psychological, and social. So that transition of players from category to category is effective and purely based on performance etc.”
