Former Super Eagles coach Augustine Eguavoen has expressed his concern over the possible exclusion of Kelechi Iheanacho from Nigeria’s final squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Coach Eric Chelle initially named a 39-man squad, including Iheanacho, for the crucial matches against Rwanda and Zimbabwe. However, reports suggest the Leicester City forward might not make the final cut.

Eguavoen believes this would be unfair. He stated that if the squad was limited to 23 or 25 players, leaving Iheanacho out would be understandable. But since the list was expanded to 39, he feels Iheanacho should be included.

“It’s not fair on Kelechi Iheanacho if Eric Chelle makes a 39-man list and he isn’t involved. If it’s a 23 or 25-man list, that’s fine,” Eguavoen said on Monday Night Football.

Coach Chelle is expected to finalize the squad this week, with training camp set to begin soon.