Ujah happy to get ‘another chance’ to play for Nigeria

Werder Bremen forward, Anthony Ujah, is happy to get another chance of playing for the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

The 24-year-old striker made the squad to the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 and was within a post of having a dream come true by playing the following summer for Nigeria at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

However, there was disappointment when then-coach Stephen Keshi left him out of the party.

Ujah, who at the time had just gained promotion with Cologne into the German Bundesliga, vowed that he would work hard to get back into the mix, and he has done that, scoring his way into new boss Sunday Oliseh’s first list and now on a track to reach Russia 2018 with the Super Eagles.

After 10 goals last term as Cologne finished 12th he moved to fellow Bundesliga club Werder Bremen.

Ujah said he was relieved and elated to see his plan come to fruition when he was named in Oliseh’s team for the CAF Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania and a friendly against Niger a few days later.

“It is very, very important for me to get another chance to play for my country because up to now I have not had so much success, but with the new coach and the new set-up I hope this will be my chance,” he told FIFA.com.

“I think the move [to Werder Bremen] played a role because I had a very good pre-season. With our style of play, with the offensive football in Bremen, it’s a dream for every striker to be a part of. I think it will make me a better player.

“Although I had offers from clubs in China and Russia where I would have earned more money, I decided to sign for Bremen. I chose a club, which I believed would help me develop as a player and bring me back to the national team set-up.”

And the striker believes he can keep himself in the new coach’s plans.

“Sunday Oliseh played in the German Bundesliga, so I hope that will speak for me” he said.

“He is well informed because the German league is not a small league. It is the league where the world champions came from.”

Ujah broke into European football with Norwegian club Lillestrom, scoring 27 league goals in just 36 matches before moving on to Mainz.