The Super Eagles Need Dynamic Wingers To Win, Says Finidi George

Finidi George has urged the Super Eagles wingers to adapt to the changes in global football if they wished to be reckoned within the game.

The three-time African champions boast of no fewer than seven quality wingers in the current squad but the former Calabar Rovers, Sharks, Ajax, Real Betis, Ipswich Town and Mallorca winger says they can’t be compared to their predecessors.

“Football has changed over the years and we just have to adapt,” Finidi told The PUNCH on Sunday.

“Most clubs don’t even play with regular wingers anymore. We have wing-backs playing as wingers these days, so it will be difficult to see our players on the level compared to in the past.”

Finidi, a member of the Eagles squad that won the 1994 AFCON title in Tunisia and later qualified Nigeria for their first-ever World Cup in the US the same year, added that he was ready for the Nigerian U-17 coaching job.

“I will be glad if I get the job, it’s always good to start small and grow. I will not want to do what I’m not ready for at the moment. The  Eaglets are a team I know I can handle and gradually grow to any other team.

“The aim is to win all the time but at the same time, teach the players the basics for them to use in the future, hopefully in their various clubs, as well as the Super Eagles.

“I know that I started in Nigeria. For me, if I am given the job, the only way a player from abroad can come to the team is if the player is better than those that we have in Nigeria. If not there is no point inviting a player based abroad.

“We have to give people the opportunity in Nigeria. That is the only way. It’s for you to grab it and for them to come, and showcase their talents. At the end of the day, we will decide who is making it and who is not.”