He is too nice — Ex-Premier League star says Ekong not right man to lead Super Eagles revolution

Former Premier League striker Troy Deeney believes that William Troost-Ekong is not the right type of leader to lead a Super Eagles revolution against the ineptitude of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF).

The Super Eagles were supposed to have their first of two full training sessions ahead of Thursday's World Cup playoff clash against Gabon.

However, the players, led by their captain, William Troost-Ekong, refused to train in protest of unpaid bonuses. Ekong took to social media today to announce that the issue has been resolved, and the players trained today. 

The boycott was a topic of discussion on a recent episode of CBS’s Golazo show. One of the analysts on the show, Michael Lahoud, criticised Ekong's leadership skills, accusing him of failing to step up. 

Deeney, who was a panellist on the programme, agreed in part to Lahoud’s claim and provided some insight into Ekong's character. Deeney was teammates with Ekong at Watford, and he believes that the Al Khoolood man was “too nice” to lead a revolt. 

“I agree with the Ekong part. I don't think he's the one who'll be breaking down doors to make things happen,” Deeney said. 

“I agree with the social media side of things. He's a good guy, a good person, but in times like this, you need that nasty person. That one who's going to be like, 'You're not training; you're not moving.'

“I just think it's a huge shame that it's the World Cup qualifier and we're talking about off-the-field stuff again. It's not the first time, nor the 50th, and that's a shame from Nigeria.”