The Super Eagles will be gearing up for two friendlies after the fallout of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final loss to Ivory Coast.
They will face Ghana and Mali on the 22nd and 26th, and a 27-man squad for these two fixtures has already been released.
While the bulk of the players called up featured at AFCON 2023, there are a few returnees such as Tyronne Ebuehi, Nathan Tella, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, and Cyriel Dessers.
There are also two new invitees Gabriel Osho and Benjamin Tanimu. Afrosport takes a look at the freshest faces in the Super Eagles fold.
Gabriel Osho
Position: Centre-back
Age: 25
Personal background
Osho was born in the English city of Reading to Nigerian parents on August 14, 1998.
His formative years including early education were in Reading and Winnersh, both within the county of Berkshire.
Club Career
Osho began his career with Reading FC as a youth player in 2008 at the age of 10 and made his first team debut at the age of 18 after signing a four-year deal.
He was however not a regular for the Royals and spent time on loan at Maidenhead United, Aldershot Town, Bristol Rovers, and Yeovil Town.
He made a total of 21 appearances across his loan spells while he only featured for the Reading first team 10 times.
Osho joined Luton in the summer of 2020 after his four-year contract at Reading came to an end and he did not renew it.
He was not an instant regular for the Hatters and was sent out on loan to Yeovil Town and Rochdale, making a total of 26 appearances.
Osho became a mainstay in the Luton team starting from the 2021-22 season and was instrumental in helping Rob Edwards’ side gain Premier League promotion for the first time at the end of the 2022-23 season.
He remains a key cog in the Luton defence in the top-flight this season despite being hampered by knee problems at the start of the campaign and has featured 18 times in all competitions, with Luton currently engaged in the relegation battle.
International career
Osho is eligible to play for England by virtue of his place of birth or Nigeria via his parents.
He had no call-up or involvement at any level for either England or Nigeria before this maiden Super Eagles invitation.
Benjamin Tanimu
Position: Centre-back
Age: 21
Personal background
Tanimu was born in Benin City, the capital of Edo State on July 24, 2002.
Club Career
Tanimu had a strong affinity with the city of his birth and got to feature for Bendel Insurance as a senior player at the age of 16 in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
He impressed for the Benin outfit and despite relegation to the Nigeria National League (NNL), his position was not lost, and continued to feature. Insurance gained promotion back ahead of the 2022-23 season and Tanimu still did not lose his place.
The Benin City man was ever-present as Insurance spent the whole of the entire regular season on their return unbeaten which earned them a spot in the NPFL playoffs. They also triumphed in the Federation Cup which earned them a place in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Tanimu started the ongoing NPFL season with Insurance but was sold to Tanzanian Premier League side Ihefu FC last month.
International career
Tanimu has experience with Nigeria at Under-23 level having played against Guinea during the final round of the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Nigeria lost 2-0 on aggregate and were denied a chance to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
