Former West Bromwich Albion and PAOK Saloniki defender Ifeanyi Udeze has urged Finidi George to only take assistants who will not give him ‘problems’ during his time as Super Eagles coach, Soccernet.ng reports.
Finidi was appointed the new boss of the Nigerian national team earlier this week after weeks of speculations regarding the top job.
Emmanuel Amunike was considered by many to be the favourite to be named Jose Peseiro’s successor, while Daniel Amokachi was also a top contender in the race.
However, the Nigeria Football Federation announced that Finidi had been upgraded from being a caretaker coach to the permanent handler of the Super Eagles.
Interestingly, in the statement announcing the appointment, NFF failed to reveal the identity of the coaches who will assist Finidi.
This development has fueled new speculations, with reports in a section of the local media suggesting that the NFF is looking to name one of Amunike or Amokachi as Finidi’s assistant coach.
The rumours, however, do not sit well with Udeze, who believes that coupling Finidi with an over-ambitious assistant will pose problems for the former Ipswich Town star.
Udeze has asked the NFF to allow Finidi to pick the people he wants to work with.
“I don’t want to see an ex-player who will come and give Finidi problems,” the former Bendel Insurance left-back said, as per Score Nigeria.
“The NFF must not give him assistants who will try to take the job from him.
“He should instead be given a free hand to bring his assistants.”
Finidi needs no distraction as he looks to guide Nigeria to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Nigeria missed the last edition of the Mundial in Qatar after losing to Ghana in the final playoff round.
NB: Is it a good idea to appoint Emmanuel Amunike as Finidi George’s assistant coach? Leave your comments below.