IKStart midfielder, Afeez Aremu, has expressed delight at his recent invitation and debut for the Flying Eagles in the 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations qualifier against Mauritania on Saturday.
The 18-year-old is reaping the rewards of the outstanding start to his career in the Norwegian Eliteserien, with 15 starts from a possible sixteen since the start of the 2018 campaign.
”The Norwegian League is on break, they talked to our director and he permitted me to come to Nigeria for the Flying Eagles match,” Aremu told reporters.
”I have enough qualities to bring to the team and am sure we will qualify for the Nations Cup.
”Everybody has welcomed me well and I’m not carrying myself as a player that came from abroad.
”I am not different from the players in camp, I was like them before I moved abroad, so we are all the same family,” he said.
When asked to clarify his best position on the pitch, Aremu answered: ”I play as a defensive midfielder, at times I join the attack when I have the opportunity. ”
Aremu has netted four goals across all competitions this season, including a debut goal against Tromso in March.
It could be recalled that the Norwegian club, IK Start, has granted the request of Nigeria Football Federation to release former Super Eagles B star Afeez Aremu to feature for the U20 boys, Flying Eagles in Saturday’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations qualifier against Mauritania in Lagos.
The defensive midfielder turned up at the Flying Eagles’ Pearlwort Hotel camp in Ikeja and decided to train with the squad. The technical crew was impressed with his game and being eligible, he was asked if he could feature on Saturday, July 21 cracker. But he said his Norwegian club would have to grant permission for him to play as he is on holiday in Nigeria.
Team Administrator, Aliyu Lawal Ibrahim, immediately commenced the process and within the hour, the Kristiansand –based Club granted the permission with a caveat that the player must fly back to Norway on Sunday, 22nd July.
Aremu played for the Eagles B in the qualifiers for the 2018 African Nations Championship and at the WAFU Cup of Nations in Ghana in September 2017, but travelled to Norway before the CHAN finals in
Morocco.
The Flying Eagles trained at the Agege Stadium, Lagos, since returning from Nouakchott where they were forced to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of this final qualifying fixture. Coach Paul Aigbogun, alongside assistants Abdu Maikaba, Hassan Abdallah and Suleiman Shuaibu drilled the players during the week.
Nigeria have been champions of Africa at U20 level in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011
and 2015.
