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Etim Esin Tips Ndidi to Step into Mikel’s Boots

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BY BOLAJI OKUNOLA

 

Former Nigeria’s midfield maestro, Etim Esin, has tipped Leicester City’s Winfred Ndidi for great roles in the Super Eagles. He is one of the emerging star performers in the team that is gradually fading off ageing stars.

In the quest of searching for a reliable midfielder who can fit into the shoe of John Obi Mikel, Etim Esin, who was touted as Nigeria’s version of the legendary Diego Maradona, especially on account of his stocky built, has tipped Ndidi as generation next.

Esin in a telephone interview with Sports Village Square remarked that  it is high time Nigeria coaches began building the midfield line and looking for successor who is fit to take over from the former Chelsea midfielder, John Obi Mikel.

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“We should start looking for a replacement for John Obi Mikel who is no more getting younger.

“He has done a lot for the good of the team. I mean what one can say about an experienced midfielder who has showcased his talent in the English Premier League before moving to China. We should start nurturing someone who can fit into his shoe.”

“It won’t be a bad idea monitoring an upcoming midfielder like Winfred Ndidi of Leicester. He is about to finish the season on an excellent note and I see him as a future star.”  The 20 year old Ndidi won the Leicester City youngest player award for the 2016/2017 season.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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