Sixteen-capped Super Eagles player, Henry Onyekuru, has insisted that he is not giving up on his return to the national team as he aims to be part of the squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Onyekuru made his debut for the Eagles in 2017 in a 3–0 friendly win over Togo when he featured for 58 minutes.
Following a strong 2018/19 season with Galatasaray, the 26-year-old was included in Nigeria’s final 23-man squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
He played for 12 minutes at the finals, coming on as a late substitute in their 2-1 semi-final defeat to eventual champions Algeria in al-Qāhirah, Cairo.
After almost two years of absence from the team, the Al-Fayha forward was invited for the final two 2021 AFCON qualifiers against Benin Republic and Lesotho.
Once again, he was included in the Eagles squad that crashed out in the knockout round of the 2021 tournament in Cameroon, making just one appearance in the team’s 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau.
Onyekuru’s 85th-minute appearance against the Djurtus and the forward, who has been in fine form since his move to the Saudi League, is hopeful of earning a recall to the team ahead of the 2024 AFCON in Ivory Coast.
“I was there at the last AFCON in Cameroon, and I am really pushing to be there again”, Onyekuru told Arab News.
“In Nigerian football, there is still this negative mentality about the Saudi league – they don’t think it is as intense.
“But I think they should be able to see that now, the players who play here make it competitive. I am not giving up and anything can happen”
So far this season, the former Monaco star has three goals and two assists in 14 league games for Al-Fayha.
