Former Watford forward Troy Deeney has cast doubts over the qualities of William Troost-Ekong as the captain of the Nigerian national team, SportPremi reports.
The Super Eagles face Gabon in the CAF playoffs first round on Thursday, with a clash against either Cameroon or DR Congo scheduled for next Sunday.
The game is scheduled to take place at the Moulay Hassan Stadium in Morocco, with kickoff scheduled for 5 PM.
The players boycotted training on Tuesday following a disagreement with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) over unpaid bonuses and wages, but resumed to action on Wednesday ahead of the crucial qualifier.
Everything Troy Deeney said
Troy Deeney and William Troost-Ekong both played together at Watford in the English Premier League between 2020 and 2022.
While speaking in an interview session, the now-retired player believes Ekong lacks the aggressiveness to lead the Nigerian team.
“I worked with William Troost-Ekong at Watford. I don’t think he’s the one kicking down the doors and saying this is what is going to happen.
Totally take your point to the social media point of it, he’s a good guy, he’s a good person”, Deeney admitted.
“But in this moment, you need that nasty person, that one who’s going to be like, ‘No, we’re not training, we are moving, and if any of you players do it, you’re going to fall out with me.
Totally take your point to the social media point of it, he’s a good guy, he’s a good person”, he added.
“But in this moment, you need that nasty person, that one who’s going to be like, ‘No, we’re not training, we are moving, and if any of you players do it, you’re going to fall out with me’.
Can Nigeria overcome Gabon?
The Super Eagles face a must-win clash in Morocco on Thursday, hoping to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
They finished second in group C of the CAF qualifying series, one point behind South Africa who claimed the available automatic ticket from the group.
Head coach Eric Chelle named a 24-man squad for the qualifiers, including key names like Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, Troost-Ekong and Moses Simon.
The former Mali coach also handed Maduka Okoye a return after his return from a betting suspension.
The first step is defeating Gabon, before a potential clash against Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday.
The winner of the tie goes on to the intercontinental playoffs, where they battle one country from either Asia, Oceania or South America to book their spot at the tournament.
