Super Eagles coach, Genort Rohr has defied critics by including striker Ahmed Musa who is yet to secure a club on the 22-man list for next month’s African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Musa who is the squad’s skipper has been without a club since he quit Saudi side Al Nassr in October 2020.

Rohr is upbeat that the former Leicester City forward would deliver despite the criticisms that trail his inclusion in the qualifying games against Sierra Leone in Benin and Freetown respectively last November.

Other players who made the 24-man list for the game against the Benin Republic and  Lesotho include the assistant captain, William Troost-Ekong, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho.

Leon Balogun and Joe Aribo who both won the Scottish Premiership with Steven Gerrard’s Rangers over the weekend also made the cut.

Spain–based forward Sadiq Umar would equally be hoping to impress Genort Rohr as he earned a first senior call up to the Eagles.

Meanwhile, seven players, including long–time goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi, are on standby.

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Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho (APOEL Nicosia, Cyprus); John Noble (Enyimba FC); Maduka Okoye (Sparta Rotterdam, The Netherlands)

Defenders: Kenneth Omeruo (CD Leganes, Spain); Leon Balogun (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Chidozie Awaziem (FC Boavista, Portugal); William Ekong (Watford FC, England); Olaoluwa Aina (Fulham FC, England); Jamilu Collins (SC Padeborn 07, Germany); Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal); Tyronne Ebuehi (FC Twente, The Netherlands)

Midfielders: Oghenekaro Etebo (Galatasaray FC, Turkey); Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Abdullahi Shehu (Omonia Nicosa, Cyprus); Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England)

Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Unattached); Alex Iwobi (Everton FC, England); Sadiq Umar (Almeria FC, Spain); Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal FC, Spain); Victor Osimhen (Napoli FC, Italy); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Samuel Kalu (FC Girondins Bordeaux, France); Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France)

Standby: Daniel Akpeyi (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa); Henry Onyekuru (Galatasaray FC, Turkey); Peter Olayinka (Slavia Praha, Czech Republic); Terem Moffi (FC Lorient, France); Paul Onuachu (KRC Genk, Belgium); Michael Olise (Reading FC, England); Adekunle Adeleke (Abia Warriors).

Nigeria remains top of the Group E log with eight points (one ahead of Benin Republic and five more than third-placed Sierra Leone) tackle the Squirrels away at the Stade Charles de Gaulle in Porto Novo on Saturday, 27th March.

They would lock horns with the Crocodiles of Lesotho at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos three days later. Both are the concluding games of the qualifying series.

Rohr has steered Nigeria to qualify for two major tournaments (2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 Africa Cup of Nations) with a game to spare, countenance even better accomplishment this time, as the Eagles could earn a ticket to the finals in Cameroon before kick-off in Porto Novo, should Lesotho and Sierra Leone end their encounter in Maseru in a stalemate. The result would be known before kick-off in Porto Novo.