Ndidi tipped to replace Mikel

Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi is set to replace Mikel Obi in the Super Eagles squad for the friendly games in London this month, Extrasportsnigeria reports. This follows reports that the Nigeria captain has pulled out of the planned friendly matches to focus on his new club Tianjin Teda.

Nigeria will play against Burkina Faso and Senegal in London later this month.

It has been confirmed that the 29-year old has been granted permission by coach Gernot Rohr to miss the games.

For now Mikel is the only player among the three Eagles players playing in China who has requested to be left out of the game, as the duo of Brown Ideye and Odion Ighalo are yet to make any such demand.

An official of the Nigeria Football Federation revealed that Ndidi would replace Mikel in the defensive midfield position for the Eagles having featured in what has been described as “creditably well” by the official for his club side Leicester in that defensive midfield position.

In a bid to up the preparations for 2018 World Cup qualifiers, the NFF secured the two top level friendlies to hold in London this month.