By Wale Mustapha
Blackburn Rovers manager John Eustace has confirmed that Nigerian striker Emmanuel Dennis will make his official debut for the club in their FA Cup clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Dennis joined Rovers on loan from Premier League side Nottingham Forest on transfer deadline day in January. The 27-year-old forward had previously featured in a test match for the club’s U21 side, playing 45 minutes on Wednesday.
Having been deemed surplus to requirements at Forest this season, Dennis has not made any appearances for the Premier League club.
Eustace is optimistic that the FA Cup provides an excellent opportunity to integrate new players into the squad and is hopeful that Dennis, along with other recent arrivals, will have a positive impact.
“Three of the boys played for the Under-21s on Wednesday and got 45 minutes. Everyone’s excited about playing against a Premier League team, and it’s a great chance to assess the new lads and see where their fitness levels are at,” Eustace told the club’s official website.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
