Rohr's calvary on the mend

Carl Ikeme

by Andrew Randa 22 June 2017

Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr will heave a huge sigh of relief as he ponders on the FIFA 2018 World Cup game against Cameroon in August as some of his key men have stepped up their recovery from injury.

Nigeria presented a very youthful lineup in the 2-0 loss to South Africa in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on June 10 in Uyo and the defeat was partly blamed due to lack of experience and leadership int he team.

Rohr was without the services of team captain Mikel John Obi, first choice goalkeeper Carl Ikeme and Victor Moses as the Bafana Bafana beat Nigeria on home soil for the first
time, a first, also, in a competitive game.

With the imminent return of the trio and the likes of Odion Ighalo and Brown Ideye getting back to form, Rohr will be looking at the bright side of things.

Carl Ikeme, who has been out for nearly two months has already started gym sessions which mean he is well on the mend. He has worked out on the thread mill and started leg exercises at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

He is expected to be part of the Wolves pre-season squad which will gladden the heart of Rohr and Nigerians considering Daniel Akpeyi wasn’t exactly convincing against the South Africans.

Victor Moses had has a successful operation on his toe and reports suggest he is also making a fast and steady recovery and might be ready for the crunch game against Cameroon in August.

The Chelsea man has been one of Nigeria’s leading lights since Rohr took over with some impressive displays and was also among the scorers in Nigeria’s 3-1 triumph over Algeria in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier last November.

Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi is another Eagles who is making progress in his recovery from a successful operation. The Tianjin Teda midfielder has been out of action for about 11 weeks but is nearing a return to the field.

He has already started working with the ball and done gym work and it will please Rohr if his captain returns to full fitness before the crunch game as it was evident Mikel’s absence was felt during the loss to South Africa.

The Super Eagles currently lead Group B of the Africa zone of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with maximum points after two games.

A win against Cameroon in August will mean Nigeria is within touching distance for a third straight FIFA World Cup.