Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro has revealed the criteria behind his squad list for the Nations Cup in Ivory Coast.
The Portuguese manager announced a 25-man squad for the competition on Friday, and he has now opened up on his choices.
The likes of Terem Moffi, Cyril Dessers, and Paul Onuachu missed out on the list to represent Nigeria in the competition.
Peseiro has now explained the criteria behind the selection in an interview with NFF TV.
He said: “The NFF decided that it will go with 25, and I agreed because it is easy to manage this number,”
“We first came up with the 41 players, then the players who made the final list have been with us, and they have shown good performance.
“There are players who showed good performance in their clubs but didn’t do well in the national team. Also, there are players who do well for the national team and didn’t do well in their clubs.
“We looked at current form, if they are playing well and showed good condition.
“It was not easy to choose the 25 players, but it was my responsibility, and I hope and pray they play well for us.“
Peseiro handed a first call-up to Chippa United goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabili, and he revealed that the former Enyimba star impressed him with his performances for his club.
He said, “I received information about him and I tried to observe him in the video but I then requested that I go to South Africa to speak with him, his coach (at Chippa United), spoke with other people.
“I watched his trainings and I watched their match and after evaluating him for the four or five days we were there, we decided to put him in the list because we believe in him.
“He showed good qualities, good performance and now I have to wait and hope he shows the same capacity and qualities in the Super Eagles because it is different when you play in the national team and club.“
The former Real Madrid assistant coach also reiterated his desire to win the Nations Cup with the Super Eagles.
“Currently the Super Eagles have the best attack on the continent, and I have evaluated the players, the situation, and I want to win the AFCON, it’s my goal, my objective.“
The Super Eagles will battle it out with the hosts country, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau in Group A.
