Oseni shocked by Super Eagles call

Plymouth Argyle striker Owen Oseni has described his maiden Super Eagles call-up as a moment of disbelief, saying he never imagined the Nigeria national team would come calling after a season in English football’s third tier, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The 23-year-old is part of Chelle’s squad for the Unity Cup in London later this month, where Nigeria will face Zimbabwe before a potential meeting with India or Jamaica, and will also travel with the group for friendly matches against Poland and Portugal in June.

“I know I had an alright season, but to get called up for a country where there’s more than 240 million people and probably 50 per cent want to play for their country was quite a big deal for me, so I was really buzzing,” Oseni told BBC Sport.

“The coaches were watching me. Obviously, they picked up on the form I’d hit just towards the end of the season.”

Oseni scored three goals in Plymouth’s final four League One matches, ending the campaign with 10 goals from 33 appearances after joining from Scottish side St Mirren last summer, having previously been at National League club Gateshead. Plymouth narrowly missed out on a play-off place.

The Irish-born forward is eligible for Nigeria through his father. His mother is from Ivory Coast, meaning he could also represent the Elephants or the Republic of Ireland, but he said there was no hesitation when the Super Eagles came knocking.

“I’d love to represent any country on a national level. It’s massive for me and my career, and Nigeria, the Super Eagles — when they came knocking, it was a decision that I couldn’t turn down. I didn’t think there was a possibility that that could happen. All I know is to just work hard, and many doors could open, but I definitely didn’t think that I would be one of them,” he said.

The call-up will put Oseni in the same training environment as Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, and could see him line up in friendlies against sides featuring Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski. He said the experience could only sharpen him ahead of his second season at Plymouth.

“It’ll definitely boost my confidence coming back into pre-season. I’m looking to come back and nail down the starting position now for Argyle next year, and I think this will help me a lot, this call-up,” he said.

Oseni also used the opportunity to make a case for the quality within League One.

“I feel like in League One, being the third tier in England, it could get looked upon as not the highest standard. But there are a lot of great players in League One, a lot of good internationals in League One who go and do well for their countries. So it definitely gives League One that recognition I think it deserves.”

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