The Super Eagles’ head coach, Gernot Rohr, has included Al-Shabab attacker Odion Ighalo to his provisional team for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Cape Verde and Liberia.
In their final group qualifying games, the three-time African champions will face the Blue Sharks and the Lone Stars.
Rohr claims he opted to recall Ighalo because of his leadership, but the 32-year-old has yet to accept the offer.
“I put him in the bigger provisional first list for the next games.
“He is doing very well at his club, and he still has the ambition to help his country. Because we miss his leadership, we miss his experience. We miss the goals he scores.
“He was the best scorer at the AFCON, the best scorer during the qualifiers, and I think we have so many young players, and they could learn a lot on the side of such a great player.
“Ighalo is a very important man. I hope that he can come back,” Rohr said in a Q&A on Elegbete TV.
Ighalo retired from international duty after finishing as the top scorer at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Before his retirement, he scored 16 goals in 35 games for the Super Eagles.