AFCON 2023: Super Eagles still strong without Ndidi, Boniface – Peseiro

Super Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro has said that his team is still strong despite having to replace some of his key players in the roster for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Nigeria’s preparations for the competition have been affected by injuries to some of its top players.

Wilfred Ndidi, a Leicester City midfielder, was to withdraw from the squad owing to an injury.

The 26-year-old was replaced by Alhassan Yusuf of Royal Antwerp.

Victor Boniface and Umar Sadiq have also been eliminated from the competition, with Terem Moffi and Paul Onuachu replacing them.

Despite the defeat, Peseiro believed that his team still had the quality to go all the way in Cote d’Ivoire.

“It’s unfortunate that those players can’t be here with us; they all want to play, but they can’t because of injury,” Peseiro said at a press conference in Abidjan on Saturday.

“The good news is that we have enough players to replace them.

“It’s not much of a problem for us because we chose individuals with similar characteristics.

“Onuachu is comparable to Sadiq; Moffi and Boniface are not dissimilar, nor are Ndidi and Alhassan.

“These players have various characters, but their profiles are not dissimilar.

Kanyidaily recalls that Peseiro blamed ill luck for draw against Lesotho.