Raphael Onyedika has been in sensational form over the past month or so for his Belgian employers Club Brugge, making vital contributions all over the pitch, especially in front of goal.
Such performances would make it hard — if not altogether impossible — for the next Nigeria manager, whoever that may be, to overlook the 23-year-old and how he could possibly bolster the Super Eagles’ fortunes.
With Onyedika's current form, Club Brugge find themselves at a crossroads regarding the future of the Nigerian midfielder. With reports swirling that they are considering letting Onyedika leave, questions arise about whether this decision would prove to be a transfer mistake.
Before Onyedika hit this good run of form, Club Brugge had resolved to let him leave this summer, even going ahead to acquire the services of 21-year-old Swiss international Ardon Jashari from FC Luzern as the Nigerian's replacement.
The prospect of letting Onyedika leave raises concerns among many football supporters. Given his current form and potential for further development, many believe that parting ways with the Nigerian midfielder could be a transfer mistake.
Since making his Nigeria debut in a September 2022 friendly against Algeria, Onyedika has only added six caps to his collection, with just three of those being starts.
At the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) earlier this year, for instance, he was sparsely used by then-head coach Jose Peseiro, appearing only as a substitute in the third group game against Guinea-Bissau.
Going forward, though, Onyedika is building a strong case not just for a regular starting berth — should he keep his form up — but as a key figure, perhaps the one the team should be built around.
Here are three reasons that should be the case.
Raphael Onyedika's attacking form makes him indispensable for Nigeria
Prior to mid-March's league visit to St. Truidense, Onyedika only had three direct goal involvements to his name since making the move from Danish side Midtjylland in the summer of 2022, but he has since racked up some remarkable numbers in that period.
Three goals — two against Belgian First Division A title rivals Anderlecht — and an assist in his last seven games prove Onyedika is able to do a whole lot more than merely getting stuck in the drudgery that usually defines action in the middle of the park.
Nigeria has no shortage of prolific goalscorers at the moment, of course, but the team has struggled for goals of late, and any help — even from a traditional defensive midfielder like Onyedika — will be very helpful.
Onyedika could be the key to unlocking Ndidi's attacking prowess for Nigeria
Speaking of midfielders contributing goals and assists at club level, another is Wilfred Ndidi, who has been posting truly impressive numbers for his club, Leicester City, this season.
Ndidi, who himself began his European career in Belgium before joining the Foxes some seven years ago, has registered six goals and six assists for Leicester — for context, he has a total of 34 across all competitions during his stay at the King Power Stadium — in a campaign that is almost certain to see the Championship club return to the Premier League on the first attempt.
That attacking edge could be beneficial to the Super Eagles too, but only if Ndidi is deployed a little farther than usual in midfield.
Playing him in a double-pivot with Onyedika — as was the case in the last friendly, against Mali — and assigning the latter a more defensive brief would liberate Ndidi to contribute a lot more to Nigeria's offensive output.
Onyedika could provide the control in midfield Nigeria have missed since Mikel's exit
It has been some five years since John Obi Mikel ended his sterling duration of service to the Nigerian national team, but the search for a midfielder capable of controlling games as brilliantly as the former Chelsea man did for his country continues.
Quite a few players have auditioned for the role, but none has done so consistently well enough to claim it for themselves.
But that is just the quality Onyedika has showcased this season, regularly delivering performances for Club Brugge that suggests he could just as efficiently and successfully operate in such an assignment for the Super Eagles.
Onyedika's most recent performance, at home vs Genk on Wednesday evening, was only the latest instance and a particularly brilliant illustration of that ability.
His display on this occasion was not marked by a goal or assist, no; but it still earned him high praise from observers, including one popular website that scored the Nigerian a match-high 9.0 rating and commended him for, among other things, how he “set the rhythm” of the game, which his team ended up winning 4-0.
If handed the keys, Onyedika could definitely do a similar job for Nigeria, thriving in a way nobody else quite has since Mikel departed the scene.