Goalkeeper Hassan Muhammed, forced by the United Arab Emirates to prevent the Super Eagles’ opportunity

United Arab Emirates Al Ain goalkeeper Hassan Muhammed will not be part of the Nigerian squad for the upcoming friendly against Russia, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

As we exclusively reported, the head coach of the Nigerian team, Eric Chelle, will use most of the players he intends to use in his role as under-23 coach for the upcoming Olympic qualifiers in Los Angeles.

They will be joined by some players from the Nigerian senior team, who will be part of the squad for the AFCON qualification matches against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau respectively.

Hassan was contacted by coach Eric Chelle, who sees the 20-year-old as an option in goal for his U23 team, but was told by the player that he will not be able to make the call due to the ban on foreign goalkeepers in the United Arab Emirates.

He already holds a UAE passport, but if he plays for Nigeria his status will now be that of a foreign player, denying him the opportunity to continue his career at the club.

We have exclusively gathered that Hassan is viewed by club officials and even those outside the club as a real prospect, who can develop into a top-class goalkeeper and possibly play for the United Arab Emirates in the future.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman