Etebo Marks Low Key Birthday In Eagles’ Camp, Onyeka Out

Galatasaray of Turkey midfielder, Oghenekaro Etebo had a low-keyed birthday on arrival in the camp of the Super Eagles early Monday, as the star on loan from Stoke City of England admitted he was not in Benin City for frivolities, BSNSports.com.ng reports. While acknowledging that he was grateful to God for helping him see another birthday, the former Warri Wolves of Delta State, CD Fereinse of Portugal as well as ex-Las Palmas and Getafe of Spain battler insisted he is not thinking about pleasure for now. Etebo, who clocked 25 on the day the Eagles’ latest amp opened, was joined among the early arrivals by Sparta Rotterdam of Holland goalkeeper, Emiel Maduka Okoye and Racing Genk of Belgium striker, Paul Ebere Onuachu in Benin City. Also among the early birds were team captain, Ahmed Musa, who is currently clubless, as well as last week’s sensation in the UEFA Europa League, Leicester City of England attacker, Kelechi Iheanacho; and they were all happy to see Etebo, who missed last month’s friendlies against Algeria and Tunisia in Austria due to injury. Iheanacho and Etebo had divergent fortunes with their respective clubs in league matches on Sunday, with The Foxes’ striker watching proceedings from the bench in Leicester’s 1-0 over Wolverhampton Wanderers while the midfielder was in action for nine minutes in Galatasaray’s 2-1 win away to Sivasspor. It has also been a run of cheerful past few days for Okoye, who kept a clean sheet in his Dutch Eredivisie’s club’s 2-0 victory away to RKC Waalwijk, while Onuachu remains top scorer in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League with nine goals. While Onuachu is a late replacement for injured FC Nantes of France winger, Moses Simon, FC Midtjylland of Demak midfielder, Frank Onyeka has been ruled out of the Eagles’ upcoming double-qualifiers against Sierra Leone and he has been replaced by Cyprus-based defender, Shehu Abdullahi. This is a big blow for Onyeka, who made his long-awaited Eagles’ debut last month against Algeria, as he is now the third player to stay out of the AFCON qualifiers after Simon and CD Leganes of Spain defender, Kenneth Omeruo sufferd the same plight on account of injury. Conversely, Abdullahi is staging a return to the national team after a long absence, having returned to Cyprus to feature for Omonia Nicosia, who play in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, and he will now aim for a shirt when Nigeria host The Leone Stars to Benin City on Friday with the return clash in Freetown four days later.