NFF Technical Director, Austin Eguavoen has praised the Nigeria U17 MNT and believes the Players will Excel despite the CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations fiasco.

“These boys have done tremendously well,” Eguavoen said on Brila FM’s “The Big Interview. “It is quite unfortunate that we didn’t get the World Cup ticket, the coaching crew were good enough.”

“Although it is sad that we didn’t qualify for the World Cup, but these boys have a bright future, in real terms, you will see that this team is a very young team, not just Nigeria, across the tournament.

“They have a future, it means they have a long, bright career.”

“In the past that we used to have players in the under 17, as of four, five years, you don’t know where they are anymore. Either they stop playing or whatever, it is not just peculiar to us alone, but it’s all over.”

He said there’s a realistical chance the that the majority of the team must form the nucleus of the next Under-20 national team.

“I’m proud of these boys. Going forward, as the Technical Director, after I get my technical report from Nduka (Ugbade), in about a week, we’d see how it goes.

“Majority of the boys in this team must form the nucleus of the next under 20, because of the developmental programs we are trying to put together.”