Echiejile sets sight on Russia 2018 World Cup

Nigeria left back, Elderson Echiejile, is hoping to make up for missing the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup by featuring in Russia four years’ time.

The AS Monaco defender suffered a muscle injury during Nigeria’s 0-0 draw with Greece in a pre-World Cup warm-up game in Pennsylvania on June 3, and was subsequently ruled out of the World Cup.

Echiejile, who has returned to training with his French club, AS Monaco, has now revealed that the setback of missing the 2014 World Cup was hard to take.

“It was a very sad time for me, but I have to move on with my career. I believe there are many World Cups still in me,” he told www.kicksocca.com.

For now though, success with Monaco in the 2014/15 season is uppermost in his mind and he will be looking forward to a regular spot in the first team after a complicated 2013/14 campaign.

Good enough, Echiejile is highly rated in Monaco with the club’s technical director, Riccardo Peccini describing him as a footballer “with great potential”.

“He is a very good player that we followed for some time. We continue to move forward in our desire to focus on players with high potential,” Peccini said.

The former Bendel Insurance of Benin defender will now have to justify the confidence in him by helping his team win the title and become the best club in France ahead of reigning kings PSG.

“I am eager to establish myself in the Monaco first team after I joined the club in January. I played six matches last season, but I want to play more regularly,” Echiejile said.

“But I’m also the first to know that I have to work very hard to earn my place in the first team week in, week out. We were beaten to the championship by PSG and so the target would be to go one better and be champions of France again.”

Monaco will kick off their Ligue 1 campaign against Lorient on August 10, 2014.