Nigerian –US based coach, Anthony Ushurhe has expressed dissatisfaction with the invitation extended to Super Eagles player, Ahmed Musa to be among the players that would prosecute 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against the Benin Republic and Lesotho.

In the list made public on Tuesday by Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, Musa who is the captain of the national team, was invited along with 23 others while seven players, including long-time goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi, were placed on standby.

Coach Gernot Rohr said recently that Captain Ahmed Musa was given an honorary place in Nigeria’s squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against the two nations.

Ushurhe said he was shocked and disappointed that Coach Rohr could invite Musa who has no club for now despite many Nigerian players who are currently doing well at their respective clubs abroad.

“ I am not in support of Musa to be invited for the AFCON qualifying matches because we have some good players who are young, vibrant and can do the country proud. Musa was good during the last FIFA World Cup in Russia but presently he is not playing for any club and I wonder how he would cope with the two matches we have at hand,” he said.

Ushurhe, a former coach of Lagos-based amateur club, Messiah FC said he disagreed with Rohr that he invited Musa for honorary gesture. He urged the Technical Department of Nigeria Football Federation to assess the players first before releasing it to public.

The Delta State – born coach said despite the inclusion of Musa, he is optimistic that the Eagles would win their remaining matches and book a place in the next Africa Nations Cup.  

Meanwhile Nigeria is currently tops the Group E log with eight points (one ahead of Benin Republic and five more than third-placed Sierra Leone). The Eagles will tackle the Squirrels at the Stade Charles de Gaulle in Porto Novo on Saturday, March 27, and will lock horns with the Crocodiles of Lesotho at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos three days later. Both are the concluding games of the AFCON qualifying series.