Super Eagles coordinator supports calling more home-based players, forgotten stars to combat injury crisis

Super Eagles coordinator Patrick Pascal has advocated for a bigger Super Eagles squad in future selection decisions and matches.

The Super Eagles faced a lot of players pulling out for the current international break with as many as seven first-team players unavailable either through injury or other reasons.

Forwards Victor Osimhen, Ahmed Musa, Samuel Chukwueze, Umar Sadiq, Henry Onyekuru, and Emmanuel Dennis all pulled out through injury while Wilfred Ndidi, William Troost-Ekong left the Super Eagles camp after suffering injuries. 

In response to the depleted Super Eagles contingent, Pascal advised that the net for extending call-ups to players should be cast wider in order to increase available options.

The Super Eagles team coordinator identified the inclusion of home-based players and other foreign players who are not in the Super Eagles set-up yet as a way of beefing up the squad options.

Pascal told Footballlive: "We need to have more options to call up into the national team, and home-based players and those who are not part of the main team, can raise their games to stand any chance of staking a claim in the Super Eagles."

The Super Eagles will lock horns with the Desert Foxes of Algeria in an international friendly on Tuesday, September 27 at the Miloud Hadefi Stadium in Oran, Algeria by 8 pm Nigerian time.

The Jose Peseiro-led side earlier played a 2-2 draw with the home-based Algerian national team on Friday, September 23 with Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi and Cremonese striker Cyriel Dessers grabbing the goals for the Super Eagles.