William Troost-Ekong, a Super Eagles defender, has disclosed that head coach Jose Peseiro nearly forced him to cease playing for Nigeria due to a disagreement with the Portuguese.
In an interview with ESPN, the former Udinese and Watford player revealed he was unsure whether he will participate in the current 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, or AFCON, in Ivory Coast.
According to Troost-Ekong:
“I was not sure if I was going to play this AFCON or not and to be honest, I was not sure if I was going to continue with the national team either because I was weighing all my options.
“I felt that maybe the only thing that was going to stop me this time was that there was some disagreement with the coach [Peseiro] before the tournament so I was not sure if I was going to be part of the squad or not.
“I stayed in communication with the team, I was wishing them well. I also reminded the coach that I am available and I think everyone was impressed with how I was playing in the league and also the European Conference League.”
Troost-Ekong has been a consistent performer for Nigeria at the AFCON, the 30-year-old scored for Nigeria against host Ivory Coast.
cc: Daily Post Ng
