Osimhen, Lookman left out of Nigeria squad list for Unity Cup

Nigeria national team head coach Eric Chelle has left Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman out of his squad for play Ghana in the Unity Cup.

This was confirmed after the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, released the list of invited players on Wednesday afternoon.

Osimhen and Lookman, who have each had strong seasons with Galatasaray and Atlanta respectively in the 2024/25 season, will also miss Nigeria’s games against Russia.

The reasons for their omission from the squad list is yet to be known. However, Chelle invited ten home-based players for the friendlies, suggesting the purpose is to discover new options with a look towards the future.

Junior Harrison Nduka, captain of the CHAN-bound side and of champions Remo Stars, will seek a slot in the defence that also has Semi Ajayi, Bruno Onyemaechi, Igoh Ogbu and fellow domestic-based players Ifeanyi Onyebuchi, Sodiq Ismaila and Waliu Ojetoye, while Papa Daniel Mustapha, Saviour Isaac and Collins Ugwueze will have to contend with Wilfred Ndidi, Frank Onyeka and Chrisantus Uche in midfield.

Also, returning Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa of Kano Pillars has also been called up alongside Adamu Abubakar and Sikiru Alimi.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, Frank Onyeka and Kelechi Iheanacho have all been called up.

The 17,250-capacity Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford, West London, is set to host the Unity Cup Tournament, featuring Nigeria, Jamaica, Ghana, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Action kicks off on Tuesday, May 27th, with Trinidad & Tobago facing Jamaica in a historic "Trini-Jam" match on UK soil. The next day, football fans will witness another highly anticipated semi-final as three-time African champions Nigeria take on four-time African champions Ghana, rekindling a 74-year rivalry filled with intense competition.