Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh has said the sudden retirement of striker Emmanuel Emenike from the national team came as a shock to him.
After five years of playing for the Eagles, Emenike announced on Instagram on Monday night that he was quitting the national team for “national peace”.
Oliseh, who spoke on sports radio, Brila FM on Wednesday, said he had made an attempt to reach Emenike after the announcement without success. According to him, the Al Ain forward is still in his plans.
He said, “It was a big shocker for us; a big shocker for me personally. I still don’t accept that he has retired because, officially, I’ve not heard anything from him and I don’t think the federation has heard from him. All we’ve heard is what he posted on social media.
“We made him an integral part of our rebuilding process. In fact, he has had more playing time than other strikers. I’m very surprised that he has decided to retire. Immediately I heard it, I called him twice.
“Initially, I thought it was one of those lies and speculation flying around on social media. I needed to get a confirmation so I called him twice. He didn’t respond. I’m still expecting a return call from him. It is when I hear from him that I’ll accept that he has retired.”
Oliseh denied the reports that he had planned to drop Emenike because he was not scoring goals for the Eagles.
On his relationship with senior players in the national team, Oliseh said he had made it clear that every player would have an equal chance of playing under his regime.
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