Mamadou Niang, former Senegal international and Marseille legend, is optimistic that Calvin Bassey can replace William Troost-Ekong in the national team.
Speaking on Canal+ in his analysis of the Super Eagles ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, Niang spoke convincingly about Bassey’s abilities and is convinced that the centre-back is ready to lead from the back in Morocco.
“With what I see at Fulham, the impact he has in Premier League matches, he is a talented, tough defender who has very good distribution with his left foot, and athletic quality which is above average.
“He is a player I think is a leader of the Nigeria defence, who can replace Troost-Ekong, who took this Nigerian team to the Afcon final.
“Calvin Bassey is more than capable of succeeding him in that position,” he said.
32-year-old Ekong announced his retirement from the national team just 17 days before the AFCON. He was included in Eric Chelle’s 54-man provisional list for the tournament and will now be excluded with this retirement.
Towards the end of his time with the Super Eagles, Ekong had to start from the bench, especially in the latter part of the World Cup Qualifiers and the playoffs.
