Ex-Super Eagles defender tells Bassey how to reclaim his starting spot at Fulham

Former Super Eagles defender Juwon Oshaniwa has weighed in on Calvin Bassey’s situation at Fulham, with the centre-back struggling to reclaim his starting role for the Cottagers after going off to AFCON.

Oshaniwa, who played 17 times for the Super Eagles and won the AFCON under Stephen Keshi in 2013, is sympathetic to Bassey’s plight while advising him to continue showing his quality in training.

The former Ajax defender was a standout performer for Fulham last term, winning the Player of the Season award while starting 34 Premier League matches.

He retained his prominent role this season, starting every league game before heading off to the AFCON with the Super Eagles. The tournament was tremendously successful, Bassey. He was the standout defender, winning bronze with Nigeria and making the team of the tournament.

However, while he was shutting out strong teams like Algeria and Morocco at the AFCON, Jorge Cuenca was taking his place on the left side of Fulham’s defence. He performed admirably while Bassey was in Morocco and has retained the spot even after the 26-year-old returned from national duty.

Bassey has been an unused substitute in two matches and came off the bench against Manchester United. Failing to start any of the three matches after the AFCON sparked concerns regarding his status at the club.

Oshaniwa, 35, expressed worry about the defender’s situation in West London, but he urged Bassey to continue working hard in training in his conversation with Brilia FM.

“It is a very bad one. You’re talking about someone who just finished a very big tournament like AFCON, the biggest tournament on the African continent, where he had a brilliant outing,” he said.

“Coming back to sit on the bench is not a good situation at all. He was a regular before leaving for the tournament, so finding himself in this position shouldn’t be like that. But he should keep his head up and continue working hard, even in training, while he waits for his chance.”