Its no longer news.
Changchun Yatai of China forward Odion Ighalo, the man who has had the daunting task of leading the striking line for the Super Eagles will miss the all-important AFCON qualifier against South Africa
What Nigerian soccer fans have turned their attention to are permutations on how the attacking setup against South Africa will now shape up and who leads the line in the absence of the former Watford Striker
Despite earlier criticism Ighalo was on a scoring streak for the Super Eagles scoring five goals in the last 2 games alone so now who leads our search for goals
We examine the options available to Rohr
Kelechi Iheanacho
At a time the Leicester city forward was even the preferred choice ahead of Ighalo but now it almost seems he has fallen further in the pecking order for strikers
Gernot Rohr’s grouse then was that the 21 year old was not getting enough game time but it’s more like the player did not take his chances when presented with them both at club and national team level
A classy finisher on his day Kelechi however now seems like he might be more suited to play as a support striker playing just off the top man as he does for Vardy at Leicester
He can deliver if called upon but his chances of being turned to by Rohr seem slim
Ahmed Musa
Seen more as a winger for the National team the Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia forward is fast changing the narrative
Shown time and again he knows his way to goal for the national team after delivering at yet another World Cup where he was Nigeria’s standout player and will long be remembered for his 2 world class goals against Iceland
Musa is also a proven striker at Club level and has contributed a couple of goals for his Saudi Arabia side playing as a striker
While he may have struggled at Leicester he also excelled playing in the role during his time at CSKA Moscow
Likely to be Rohrs choice
Isaac Success
Isaac Success is our choice to lead the line for the Eagles. A reinvigorated striker and a player reborn.
The Watford powerhouse also fits the German tacticians idea of a classic forward, a strong physical striker, one with presence in the box and capable of holding up the ball well
Success benefited from troy Deenys injury at Watford to lead the line for the Hornets and now seems set also to benefit from Ighalos Injury for the Eagles
Has been in good form for Watford and the only thing currently missing for Isaac Success is his goal ratio which will come as he gets the games under his belt
Verdict
Rohr seems not to have been completely won over by Henry Onuyekuru yet but seems sold on Samuel Kalu on the right. With Kalu getting the nod on the right Rohr would most likely opt for Success in the middle and keep Musa on the left with both players constantly switching roles as Success is known to drift out wide and thrive from the flanks.
He might however keep Success as an impact player from the bench and start Musa in the middle with returnee Moses Simon taking up the other flank