Oliseh gives hope to Aluko, others

Sunday Oliseh (with jersey) hopes to spark fresh desire in Nigerian players 

Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh has shed further light on his criterion for international call-ups, giving hope to the likes of Sone Aluko whose club has been relegated to the English second tier.

At his presentation by the NFF last week, Oliseh made it clear that only players who are playing regularly at clubs in the top division domestically and in Europe will be eligible for call ups to the Super Eagles.

The only exception was players of exceptional ability within the Nigerian cadet setup.

In an interview a few hours later at his hotel, Oliseh added a few more caveats

"For players who are already in the national team and performing at a high level, they will not be thrown just like that," he said. "But to keep their place in the team, they will have to maintain the same level of performance.

"Also, we will give the, a reasonable time to find new clubs in a top division. Even if it is on loan. After that time, and especially if their performance drops, we will have no choice but to find those who are playing at a higher level."

Oliseh explained the reason for his decision

"At national team level, there is no time to teach players. You can only manage them to play in a certain way, at a certain tempo. And players who are playing in top divisions are already used to that sort of high level tempo.

"At the same time, we cannot have players who are complacent to just have a club. We want players who are hungry to achieve more and improve themselves and if you are not getting regular playing time at one club, you should aspire to move to where you can play regularly and challenge yourself against the best."