QUESTION: With Osimhen, Dennis out… who’ll score for Eagles at AFCON?

Austin Eguavoen, Super Eagles interim coach, will be without two of the most in-form Nigerian strikers at the moment when he leads the team out in Cameroon for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) early this month. This will certainly be a major headache for a coach who will be trying to impress with his short spell of opportunity before handing over to Jose Peseiro in February.

Victor Osimhen and Emmanuel Dennis were replaced in the Super Eagles 28-man provisional list by Henry Onyekuru and Peter Olayinka respectively over controversial reasons.

Osimhen, who plays for Napoli, pulled out of the squad after testing positive for COVID-19 — a few days to AFCON. His COVID-19 status came amid the disagreements between the Italian side and the NFF over his match fitness.

Dennis, on the other hand, was withdrawn from the Eagles provisional list after Claudio Ranieri, his coach at Watford, claimed that the NFF sent the player’s invitation later than the deadline stipulated by the English club.

Their absence at the tournament, which kicks off on January 9, 2022, means that Nigeria will arrive in Cameroon with a depleted vanguard.

Osimhen’s explosiveness was significant to the Eagles’ modest success in 2021. The 22-year-old was involved in nine of the team’s 13 goals last year; scored seven times and set up another two. He was the Eagles’ highest goal scorer as the team secured an AFCON ticket and qualified for the final round of qualifiers for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

Although Dennis is yet to make his mark in the green and white jersey since his debut in 2019, his resurgence in the English Premier League (EPL) this season makes his absence a huge miss for Nigeria. The 24-year-old has been in a blistering form since his underreported move to Watford from Club Brugge in the summer. He joined the Hornets off an unimpressive loan spell at FC Koln, but he bit into the opportunity like a kid handed his favourite candy. His name that was known only by a handful of journalists a few months ago is now one of the most feared by defenders across England. Only Mohammed Salah (15 goals, 9 assists) has more contribution than Dennis (8 goals, 5 assists) this season.

OTHER OPTIONS IN ATTACK?

The absence of the duo will be felt at the edge of the Eagles’ attack at the AFCON, but the team has not become totally flaccid in the final third.

The powerful and dogged Taiwo Awoniyi finally has the opportunity to replicate his promising performances for Union Berlin in the shirt of the Eagles. The 24-year-old has scored 14 goals in 27 games for the Berlin club with a consistency of sublime performances that suggest a player at the threshold of his prime.

The lanky brilliance of Sadiq Umar might eventually catch the Nigerian eyes after years of fireworks at the Spanish Segunda division. He’s a goal-poacher whose nine goals for Almeria this season are significant in the team’s quest for promotion back to La Liga.

Odion Ighalo will also make up for what he has lost in speed and fierceness with experience and prodigious strength. Even at 32, his goal-scoring ability appears not to have been dulled by age. He has scored 10 goals in 14 league games for Saudi’s Al Shabab FC.

Eguavoen is faced with setbacks with the forced absence of his best-attacking options but he’s saddled with an abundance of attacking talents that have punch power to down even the toughest of African opponents.