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What more can Emmanuel Dennis do to get in Rohr’s plans?

Despite his exploits across Europe, Emmanuel Dennis is yet to become a Super Eagles regular, much to the surprise of many.

Kolade Daniel asks what more he needs to do to force his way into Gernot Rohr’s plans.

With Victor Osimhen ruled out of the Africa Cup of Nations, a host of players will be hoping to get the nod from Rohr to possibly replace the Napoli star.

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Odion Ighalo is the likely name to start upfront for Nigeria, with Paul Onuachu just behind in the pecking order. However, a host of names are deservedly in the running to become the country’s hitman upfront.

Alongside Taiwo Awoniyi and David Okereke, Dennis falls in the above category and the 24-year-old will sense a good chance of forcing his way into Rohr’s plans.

The forward has impressed since his summer move to Watford, recording nine-goal involvements in 11 Premier League games.

Dennis recently stole the headlines in Watford’s 5-2 humbling of Everton, where he bagged one goal and recorded two assists to cap off a man-of-the-match display.

Regardless, the 24-year-old has barely seen chances to impress on the national stage. Till date, the 24-year-old only has three appearances for the Super Eagles and they came in substitute appearances against Brazil, Ukraine and Sierra Leone.

With a potential striker berth up for grabs with the Super Eagles, what must Dennis do to get the attention of manager Gernot Rohr?

Time to be master at one position

Versatile players are always very much welcome by managers, given how they can be utilized in a number of positions and formations. However, it could sometimes leave a player being a jack-of-all-trades and master at none.

Dennis is naturally a forward but is often deployed as a winger because of his pace and energy. In his time at Club Brugge, he was deployed at centre forward, at both ends of the flanks and even as a supporting striker on several occasions.

A similar trend is already taking shape at Watford, with the 24-year-old already featuring in three different positions for the Hornets after just 11 games this season.

The question of Dennis’ form is undeniable but it is perhaps time for him to nail down one position and make it his own. In a squad as competitive as that of the Super Eagles, it is expected that Rohr would only consider the very best in a particular position.

Some names are already tagged as un-droppable under Rohr, and only exceptional quality will force the German to re-think his decision.

At the moment, Dennis only needs to keep up his current form, with the hopes that Rohr will find an effective way to accommodate him in his plans.

by Kolade Daniel

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