Don't abandon these Eaglets — Super Eagles defender Kenneth Omeruo 'warns' NFF

Super Eagles defender Kenneth Omeruo has sent a cryptic warning to the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, that Nigeria’s U-17 team to the 2023 U-17 AFCON must not be abandoned.

Omeruo made this comment after the Golden Eaglets were dumped out of the competition at the quarterfinal stage.

Nigeria suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Burkina Faso in the last eight at the Nelson Mandela Stadium on Thursday night.

Amara Camara was the hero for the Burkinabes as he netted both goals while Abubakar Abdullahi scored the consolation for Nigeria.

The defeat was a painful one as it ended Nigeria’s quest for a 13th appearance at the FIFA U-17 World Cup and a third AFCON title.

However, Super Eagles defender and AFCON 2013 winner, Omeruo, has come to the defence of the team.

According to the Leganes skipper, the Golden Eaglets should not be abandoned despite their sad defeat as the team has several bright talents that must be encouraged.

“It was sad not to see these boys progress to the next stage and also to the World Cup,” Omeruo posted on his official Instagram account.

“So many bright talents in this team, I just hope they are not abandoned. I hope they are encouraged in defeat as well. I know for sure a lot of them will play to their highest potential,” he added.

Omeruo’s beliefs seem to corroborate what the U-17 coach Nduka Ugbade said after the defeat to Burkina Faso.

As reported by Pulse Sports Nigeria, Ugbade also called for support for his Eaglets as he noted that some of them have what it takes to move to the Super Eagles.

“The players are disappointed of course because they are young but we must support them because they need to continue their careers,” Ugbade said.

“We should work on their development because I believe that some of these players will eventually move to the senior national team,” he added.