David Okereke awaits a call to replace Osimhen, amid Osimhen’s injury

David Okereke comes in the frame as a potential replacement for the injured Victor Osimhen. The Venezia forward will welcome an invitation to the Super Eagles, BSNSports.com.ng reports. The Super Eagles of Nigeria are preparing in earnest for the African Cup of Nations hosted by Cameroon in January. The three-time champions do not want to be just participants in Africa’s biggest tournament. The general idea is to compete to win, and all hands are on deck to ensure that the team is victorious. The last time Nigeria won the tournament was in 2013 under the tutelage of the late Stephen Keshi. The Super Eagles have been lacklustre in their World Cup qualifiers. Their performances dimmed the hopes of Nigerian fans of the Super Eagles with a big impression at the competition. Aside from the dire performances, fans do not repose faith in Gernot Rohr as the man to lead the Super Eagles to its next trophy. Amid the furore about the German’s future, the Super Eagles have been dealt a heavy blow with injury knocking out Victor Osimhen from the tournament. Osimhen has been the Super Eagles brightest light as the team challenges for a place at the World Cup in Qatar next year. The injury to Victor Osimhen has opened a spot in the Super Eagles for another striker. Nigeria boasts a plethora of players scattered all over Europe that play in the same position as Osimhen. With AFCON starting in a few weeks, the race to replace Osimhen is already on. David Okereke has thrown his hat in the ring as he awaits an invitation to the Super Eagles. The young Venezia striker hopes that the Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr picks his phone and makes the call. In a recent interview, Okereke made no bones about his interest in the Super Eagles as he claims that he would jump at the chance to don the Super Eagles shirt at AFCON next year. David Okereke had an underwhelming spell at Belgium side Club Brugge, and despite once featuring for the Nigeria U-23 team, the 24-year-old has not found a smooth path to the Super Eagles. The abundance of attacking talent in the country has ensured that he remains on the fringes of a call-up. The recent recall of Odion Ighalo has further reduced his chances of an invitation to the Super Eagles. Victor Osimhen, before his injury, had cemented his place in the team as the leading striker, with Kelechi Iheanacho and Paul Onuachu providing support. Taiwo Awoniyi is another player who is having a brilliant run with Union Berlin in the Bundesliga. Awoniyi has a couple of Super Eagles appearances under his belt. The injury to Napoli star Victor Osimhen comes when David Okereke is shining at Italian Serie A side Venezia. Okereke has scored a few vital goals for Venezia this season and his manager Paolo Zanetti tips him for greatness. Responding to a question ahead of Venezia’s next game against Inter Milan, Okereke welcomed the idea of a call-up to the Super Eagles but will remain happy to continue his adventure with Venezia if the invitation does not come. The forward is worth giving a chance, and Gernot Rohr should put him ahead of another Nations Cup for Odion Ighalo.