Super Eagles: 2 reasons behind Ibrahim Ajasa’s late invitation for Russia friendly

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has handed a late invitation to FC Rostov winger Ibraheem Mahfus Ajasa ahead of Nigeria’s friendly clash against Russia.

Ajasa was not part of the original squad selected for Nigeria’s October international window, but the 20-year-old was drafted in after a series of withdrawals weakened Chelle’s options.

Still building his way into Dmitri Kirichenko’s squad, Ajasa has been handed a rare opportunity by Chelle and could make his first appearance for the Nigerian National team later today.

Afrik-Foot highlights two main reasons a late invitation came in for the youngster.

2 reasons behind Ibrahim Ajasa’s late Super Eagles invitation

1. Nigeria needed players already in Russia

The first reason behind Ajasa’s invitation is logistics. Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s friendly, Chelle explained that Nigeria could not easily bring players from abroad after making the late changes to his squad.

“When we were getting ready to come here, we realised we only had 14 players. It’s difficult to bring players from abroad to Russia,” Chelle said in quotes revealed by Championat.

That forced the coaching staff to look for eligible players already playing in Russia.

Ajasa was an obvious candidate because he plays for Rostov and was already in the country where Nigeria’s friendly against Russia is taking place.

The late timing was also important because securing visas and convincing foreign clubs to release players at short notice presented additional complications.

Chelle confirmed that Nigeria had looked for players already based in Russia before settling on Ajasa.

Afrik-Foot previously highlighted Ajasa among the 14 potential Super Eagles debutants against Russia.

2. Chelle saw qualities Nigeria needed

Availability alone did not guarantee Ajasa a call-up. Chelle also identified qualities in the young attacker that could give Nigeria something different against Russia.

“He has dribbling skills and is capable of finding unconventional and creative solutions on the field,” the Super Eagles coach said.

That assessment explains why Ajasa was preferred despite his limited first-team involvement at Rostov this season.

The 20-year-old has struggled for regular minutes with the Russian club, making the late invitation more about what Chelle believes he can offer than his current minutes at club level.

Ajasa has played no Russian Premier League minutes for Rostov this season, and has played just seven minutes in the Russian Cup.

The youngster’s ability to operate from wide positions and attack defenders gives Chelle another option in a rather depleted squad.

However, the Franco-Malian tactician stopped short of guaranteeing the youngster a debut.

“We’ll see if he gets time tomorrow,” Chelle added.

That decision will come down to how the match goes, but regardless of whether Ajasa plays against Russia, his late invitation is significant.

Chelle needed bodies because of the huge number of withdrawals, but he also saw enough creativity and individual quality in the Rostov youngster to believe he could contribute despite his limited minutes at club level.

For Ajasa, the Russia friendly is an unexpected first step towards becoming a regular part of the Super Eagles setup. Should he get a chance to impress on his debut, his club situation might change very quickly.