Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has backed head coach Eric Chelle’s decision to bench him in Saturday’s clash with the Amavubi of Rwanda, reports Completesports.com.
Troost-Ekong was a surprise omission in the Super Eagles starting line-up against the Amavubi with 20-year-old’s Benjamin Fredrick preferred to partner Calvin Bassey in central defence.
Fredrick, who made his debut for the Super Eagles against Jamaica in May, put up an impressive display in the keenly contested encounter.
Troost-Ekong Thumbs Up Fredrick
Troost-Ekong praised the former Flying Eagles star for his impressive display against Adel Amrouche’s side.
“The focus should not be on me, whether I start the game or not should not be the question. It should be about the team, and not about an individual,” Troost-Ekong said during his interaction with the media after the game.
“Benjamin deserved a lot of credit for his performance in the game. For him to come in, and played well the way he did in a big like this, with all the pressure, we should all praise him, and not talk about me not starting.
“I was happy to come from the bench to help the team. The decision of who starts rest with the coach, and nobody can question his decision.”
Focus On Bafana Bafana
The Super Eagles moved to third position in Group C following the win over Rwanda.
Nigeria will now shift attention to next week Tuesday’s matchday eight encounter with Bafana Bafana.
“Nobody is celebrating yet, i’m just coming from the changing room, and there is no form of celebration there ,” added Troost-Ekong.
“Everyone is thinking about the next game against South Africa which we must also win.
“It is important for us to keep making the fans happy . They came out in large numbers to support us today, and we have the responsibility of making them proud on the field.”
By Adeboye Amosu