Ndidi joins Flying Eagles in Germany

The Flying Eagles training camp in Nurnberg, Germany, come alive on Monday morning with the arrival of Genk central defender Wilfred Ndidi.

Ndidi arrived the team’s Novina Hotel after a six-hour road trip with his foster father in Belgium on the steering wheels.

“This is the one player we have been waiting for,” said an excited skipper Musa Muhammed.

“‘Dogo’ is not just a teammate, he is a friend, and the whole squad are happy he has joined us.

“Personally, his joining the team means I can go upfront from my right fullback position without any hesitation because I know he will cover for me.

“But he now has to go through the hard work we have been subjected to since we arrived in Germany.”

Ndidi, 18, said he is delighted to reunite with the team after his Belgian club Genk blocked him from the recent African Youth Championship in Senegal.

On Saturday, he played the full 90 minutes as Genk won 3-2 at Zulte-Waregem. He played the first half as a left-back and the second half as a right-back.

He gave away a dozen pair of brand-new boots and Genk jerseys to the team.

The forthcoming U20 World Cup in New Zealand will be his second after he also featured at the 2013 tournament in Turkey.

“We reached the second round two years ago and now we want to be U20 world champions in New Zealand,” he said.

“The confidence in the team is very high. Now we will fight and win together.”

Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City, England), Isaac Success (Granada, Spain) and Moses Simon (Gent, Belgium) are the other Europe-based players expected to join the Flying Eagles ahead of the U-20 World Cup.