Former Super Eagles midfielder, Mutiu Adepoju is clamouring for the return of Ikechukwu Uche and Osaze Odemwingie to the Super Eagles on the premise that coach Stephen Keshi needs the players to have a balanced team at the World Cup holding in Brazil this summer.
Both players have been given the cold showers by Keshi for sometime now. While Uche was part of the team that won the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa last year, Osaze has not been called by Keshi since he started coaching the team.
Osaze last played for Nigeria in the 2-2 draw against Guinea in Abuja in 2011, the result which did not qualify the team for the 2012 edition of theAfrica Cup of Nations.
But Adepoju, after watching the international friendly match between the Super Eagles and Mexico that ended goalless, concluded that Keshi needs the duo to have a complete squad.
Keshi needs to forgive the boy, Ike Uche and bring him back into the team for the World Cup preparations,” Adepoju who played alongside Keshi in the Golden Team of 1994 told Goal.
“Ike Uche has realy done well in his club to deserve a call up. Keshi can re-assess him in the other friendly matches the Eagles will play.
“I will be happy if he can extend invitations to Osaze Odemwingie too now that he is also doing well with his club in England.
“I want Keshi to temper justice with mercy in the interest of the team. We must go to the World Cup with our best players,” he declared.
He also scored the performances of the four new players invited for the Mexico friendly high in the match.
“The newly players – Michael Uchebo, Ramon Azeez, Isaac Imoh and defender Leon Balogun – are good but they still need to play more friendly matches with the team to be able to blend.
“To the best of my knowledge I think Keshi has a team on ground and he is just looking for a few to beef up the grey areas in the team. So it depends on which areas or positions in the team Keshi wants to beef up.
“But to me it’s the forward and the midfield that need to be worked on. I think the inclusion of Ike Uche would definitely solidify the team while Osaze’s return will add quality to the team. These players are in rich form for their respective clubs,” Adepoju said.