Manu explains AYC selection

Manu Garba, head coach of Nigeria’s Under-20 football team, insists form was the major prerequisite for the selection of the players who made the team’s final squad for the 2015 African Under-20 Championship.

On Monday, the trainer named 21 players to fly Nigeria’s flag in the competition which begins in Dakar, Senegal, on March 8.

The majority of the squad were drawn from the Nigeria Under-17 squad that emerged champions at the world stage two years ago in the United Arab Emirates but Manu insists reputation from years gone by had nothing to do with his decision on Thursday.

“All the players who were selected know they had to work very hard to make this team. Whatever they had done in the past meant nothing to me,” he told supersport.com on Friday.

Manu would however be missing important players like Chidiebere Nwakali, Musa Yahaya and Kelechi Iheanacho, key components in the team’s qualification for the tournament, but the experienced trainer is not losing sleep over the development.

“The truth is that (the three players) did not have guaranteed places in the team.

“They would have had to work hard like every other player to earn their places in the team. I also recall that during our qualifying games for the (2015 African Under-20 Championship), Iheanacho was not starting matches.

“He was starting on the bench because there were other players who were better than him in training. I don’t really care about reputations.

“I believe I have picked the best 21 players for the competition and, God willing, we will do well,” he said.

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will begin their 2015 African Under-20 Championship campaign on March 8 against hosts Senegal at Stade Léopold Sédar Senghor, Dakar.

Three days later, Manu’s charges will pit their wits against Congo at the same venue in their second group game before rounding off their preliminary campaign against the Ivory Coast on March 14 at Stade Caroline Faye, M'Bour.