Nigeria coach Samson Siasia is not losing any sleep over midfielder Dickson Etuhu’s decision to make himself unavailable for selection.
Etuhu was handed a late call up to join the squad following withdrawals by several players, but declined, saying he did not wish to be considered for selection under Samson Siasia.
Asked about the decision at the pre-match press conference, Siasia did not seem overly concerned
“We all know we had problems with visas for some players. And he is here in London so we asked him to come and be part of this team.
“He said no. I don’t know what issues he has but that will be dealt with later.”
Etuhu is said to be unhappy at having been ignored since Siasia took over, but his decision will cause little heartache for Siasia, who has a surfeit of midfielders higher up the pecking order than the Fulham man.
John Mikel Obi and Joel Obi have both locked down the central midfield roles, with Kalu Uche, Fengor Ogude and Nosa Igiebor all pushing hard to dislodge them.