U17 Afcon: Jose Peseiro urges Golden Eaglets players never to relent

By Saheed Afolabi

Head coach of the Nigeria’s senior national team, Jose Peseiro has advised players of the Golden Eaglets not to give up on their dream if they fail to make the final team for the U17 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria in April.

Peseiro, who recently arrived in the country to monitor the development and activities of the junior national teams, watching the various local and international friendlies of the Golden Eaglets and Flying Eagles in the past few days.

The Super Eagles gaffer, who has been impressed with the abundance of talents in the West African nation, urged the players to keep working hard and keep improving their game in bid to achieve a successful career.

“I am impressed with what I have seen with the performance of the players here. Nigeria is known for having very talented players, so I am therefore not surprised with the performance of these players,” he said.

“You have to keep working hard and keep improving your game. Unfortunately, not all the players here will be selected. You should not give up if you fail to make the final team.”

Heading into the U17 AFCON, the Eaglets are one of the favourites to clinch the title as they have won the trophy twice in 2001 and 2007.

The Nigeria U17 team made history by winning the maiden edition of the FIFA U17 World Cup in 1985 which was hosted by China and have gone on to win the U17 FIFA World Cup for a record five times.

Coach Nduka Ugbade will be tasked with the job of finding the best players to represent Nigeria at the U17 AFCON which qualification to the U17 FIFA World Cup and winning the U17 AFCON are the ultimate goals.