Amuneke Excited As Osimhen, Chukwueze Make CAF Youth Award Final Shortlist

 

Former Nigerian international, Emmanuel Amuneke, has revealed his excitement over the recent achievements of Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze after the exciting duo made it into the final three-man shortlist for the 2019 CAF Youth Player of The Year award.

In the final shortlist that was unveiled on Sunday, Osimhen and Chukwueze made the final cut alongside Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, who has been phenomenal for Borussia Dortmund this season.

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Reacting to the list, Amuneke, who coached both players at the 2015 FIFA World Cup which they won, says it shows the progress that has been made by the fascinating pair.

“From 2017 to 2019, that’s how many years? So it’s a massive progression for them,” Amuneke said on Brila FM.

Amuneke also admonished the players not to rest on their laurels, but to keep improving. “We pray that they should continue to learn because they have to learn; they have to face many challenges. So we need to see how to develop our players, it’s not just to be satisfied within just a short period.

“Osimhen was at the World Cup (U-17) in 2015, and today he’s in the Super Eagles, same with Chukwueze. So we should see how we can be in the position to compete in the next World Cup which is in 2022 in Qatar together with other new players in the Nigerian league.”

Osimhen and Chukwueze were both parts of the Super Eagles squad that finished third at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, with Chukwueze featuring prominently for the three times African champions.

Meanwhile, in other categories in the award, former Super Eagles striker Odion Ighalo missed out in the final three-man shortlist for the men’s Player of the Year category.

Super Falcons striker Asisat Oshoala is in the running for the women’s award and will contend with South Africa’s Thembi Kgatlana and Njoya Ajara from Cameroon.

While former Super Falcons coach Thomas Dennerby is in the running for the women’s Coach of the Year and Nigeria also made the shortlist for the Women’s Team of the Year list.

The Nigerian female national team also made the final shortlist where they are joined by the national teams of Cameroon and South Africa.

The award winners for each category will be announced during the CAF Awards ceremony on Tuesday, 7 January 2020, at the Albatros Citadel Sahl Hasheesh, Hurghada, Egypt.