William Troost-Ekong
Tijani Babangida denies questioning Super Eagles defenders’ role
Former Super Eagles winger Tijani Babangida has denied quotes attributed to him questioning the invitations of William Troost-Ekong and Kenneth Omeruo to the team. Babangida insists the duo are quality players, who deserve to be part of the team. “Well, it’s very unfortunate with what I saw this morning that a journalist wrote that I said Ekong, Omeruo and even Jamilu Collins should not be in the National team. I do not think we can boast of better players than these,” Babangida said. “So if a journalist wants to have a catchy headline to sell his papers, then he writes what I did not say because that isn’t what I said so he obviously wrote against what I said. I am very disappointed and that’s not my meaning to this. “The said journalist has however to come out to apologize for what he wr...
William Troost-Ekong relishes perfect start to Watford career
William Troost-Ekong is happy with the progress has made since linking up with Sky Bet Championship club Watford. The centre-back joined the Hornets from Serie A club Udinese on a five-year contract earlier this month. He impressed on his debut against Derby County even though he was replaced after 70 minutes due to hamstring problem. The Nigeria international was named man-of-the match in Watford’s 1-1 home draw against Bournemouth last weekend. “I managed to hang on,” Troost-Ekong told Hive Live Extra. “I felt my hamstring a bit. I’m still adjusting to the speed of the game as my last game with my [former] club was the third of August. I’m still working on my match fitness so I’m happy to get 90 minutes in my legs. “The Championship is a different type of football. It’s more direct and y...
Super Eagles star bids Serie A club goodbye as Watford switch nears
William Troost-Ekong has taken to social media to say his goodbyes to Serie A club Udinese as he nears a switch to Championship side Watford. The 27-year-old Nigerian centre-back has been with the Little Zebras since the 2018-19 season, when he joined from Turkish outfit Bursaspor. He has been a regular fixture in the Udinese squad since then, racking up 66 appearances in all competitions, all which have seen the club comfortably avoid relegation, finishing 12th and 13th, with 43 and 45 points, in respective seasons. Troost-Ekong’s time in Udine is, however, coming to an end with an eminent switch to Vicarage Road as reported by Watford Observer, set to be completed soon. Though he participated in pre-season, Troost-Ekong was an unused substitute in Udinese’s season opener at Hellas Verona...
Tyronne Ebuehi targets Super Eagles return after recovering from injury
Twente right-back Tyronne Ebuehi is eager to return to the Nigeria national team after recovering from a career-threatening injury. The 24-year-old signed for Portuguese giants Benfica following his showings for the Super Eagles at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The defender was one of the standout performers for Nigeria as they were eliminated in the group stage of the global tournament. Ebuehi, however, ruptured his cruciate knee ligaments in July 2018 and subsequently missed the whole of 2018-19 season. The former ADO Den Haag right-back was also not part of the Super Eagles team that finished third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. Ebuehi, who recently joined Twente on loan to reignite his career, has appreciated the support he received during his difficult period and now look...
