Rangers star told why he's been snubbed for La Liga star as Clement issues Ibrox demand to ace
The Rangers frontman has failed to score in his last four matches
Nigeria boss Augustine Eguavoen has explained his decision to snub Cyriel Dessers from his latest Super Eagles squad - admitting the Rangers striker is still in his plans going forward.
The frontman has scored seven goals for the Ibrox side and remains the club’s top scorer so far this season, but he has drawn a blank in his last four outings. Capped six times by Nigeria, he continues to be overlooked for his national team ahead of this month’s African Cup of Nations double-header against Libya.
Dessers hasn’t been selected for a squad since March and faces a fight to force his way back into the international fold, with former Leicester City star Kelechi Iheanacho now seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order - despite failing to get off the mark for his new club, Sevilla this term.
Explaining his decision, Eguavoen said: “I decided to include Kelechi Iheanacho of Seville when it became clear Victor Osimhen would not be fit in time. I looked at both Cyriel Dessers and Tolu Arokodare, but opted for Kelechi this time because he is the more experienced striker.”
Gers manager Philippe Clement decided to sub Dessers off after an hour during Sunday’s 2-0 Premiership victory over St Johnstone, a decision that left the striker furious after seeing his number go up.
Clement stated: “He needs to work hard and it will come. He played a lot of club minutes in the last couple of weeks. It’s normal when you play every three days that you’re less fresh. That’s part of the story for every striker in the world. For a lot of teams, the strikers are changed after 60 minutes. I know some teams where it happens every week.
“He needs to work hard and continue doing that. He had a strong start to the season with a lot of goals and there will be more goals to come if he has the same mentality he had at the start of the season.”