Nigeria’s preparations for the friendly against Ecuador received a massive boost following the arrival of Emmanuel Dennis in camp.
According to a post on the Super Eagles Twitter handle, the Watford star joined the rest of the squad on Tuesday afternoon.
Update! Emmanuel Dennis @dennisblessed42 has joined us here in New Jersey. #SoarSuperEagles pic.twitter.com/BQh3CcAu2b
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) May 31, 2022Dennis was missing in action as Jose Peseiro’s men lost 2-1 to Mexico at the AT & T Stadium in Texas due to an injury that saw him miss the Hornets’ last game of the 2021-22 season versus Chelsea.
The 24-year-old’s arrival means the three-time African champions have more attacking options to tackle the international fixture against Gustavo Alfaro’s side.
While the Ecuadorians are using the fixture to prepare for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar, the match billed for New Jersey’s Red Bull Arena will help put Nigeria in the right frame of mind ahead of next month’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sierra Leone and Mauritius.
In the just-concluded Premier League season, Dennis was one of the Hornets’ star men – scoring 10 times and assisting six times in 33 league matches.
Regardless, that could not prevent the Hertfordshire based outfit from getting demoted to the English second-tier after finishing 19th on the log.
Nonetheless, the former Club Brugge star has been linked with a move out of Vicarage Road before the start of the new season.
Recently, former Sunderland striker Kevin Philips encouraged West Ham United to sign the Nigerian to help reduce the pressure on Michail Antonio at the London club.
“West Ham are in desperate need of a striker this summer,” the former England striker told Football Insider.
“They can’t rely on Michail Antonio all season again. A striker is a real priority, certainly. He [Dennis] could be one of these shrewd signings who can end up getting you 15-20 goals a season.
“He’s going to be playing in a more creative, better side if he goes to West Ham. All of a sudden, he goes from a £20million player to a £40million player.
“I think it’s a gamble worth taking. He’s shown he can score a variety of goals at this level.”
