Former Nigeria international Garba Lawal has urged newly invited Super Eagles players Paul Onuachu, Valentine Ozomwafor and Ikouwem Udo to seize their opportunities.
The trio were named in the 23-man squad for the Super Eagles’ Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers game against Seychelles and friendly tie with Egypt scheduled for March 22 and 26 respectively.
Onuachu has been a consistent performer for Midtjylland scoring 10 goals last season to help the Wolves claim the Danish SuperLiga title.
This season, the 24-year-old has racked up 16 goals in all competitions, including 14 in the league which ranks him as the third joint highest scorer in the division.
For Ozomwafor, he was part of the Nigeria U20 squad that finished fourth in the recently concluded Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations helping Nigeria to secure a ticket to the World Cup.
While Udo has been impressive for Enyimba since breaking into the first team and won the 2018 NFF Young Player of the Year.
And the 44-year-old has urged the newly invited players to grab their chances and avoid pressure when called upon to play.
“Since Rohr has called them, I believe the coach has done his part it is left for them to prove themselves and to show Nigerians what they are capable of doing,” Lawal told Goal.
“When they are called upon to play, they must not put themselves under pressure that is the most important thing.
“If they put yourself under pressure, they cannot excel. They have to be calm, remember and believe in themselves that they are good and that is why the coach called them.”
Lawal who scored six goals in 57 appearances for the three-times African champions believes Gernot Rohr's men should claim a comfortable victory over the Pirates.
“I expect Nigeria to win without any problem. They are no match for the Super Eagles.”
