Austin Eguavoen has sent out warnings to both Yakubu Aiyegbeni and John Obi Mikel.
Nigerian coach Austin Eguavoen has sent out warnings to both Yakubu Aiyegbeni and John Obi Mikel.Eguavoen has told Yakubu that despite his excellent start to his career with Middlesbrough he is not guaranteed a place in his squad, while he warned Mikel that he must be playing first team football if he wants to make the African Cup of Nations squad.
"Nobody can be given a guarantee," he said on Yakubu.
"Nobody amongst the players can get that. Yakubu is no doubt a very good player, and ordinarily should get in, given that he is doing well presently.
"But nobody among our players can lay claim to that. There are others that are doing well too across the globe, and now we are spoilt for choice.
"The basic thing is for him to continue doing well, just like the others."
On Mikel he said that the Lyn youngster - still embroiled in a tug-of-war between Manchester United and Chelsea - needs to settle down in a first team.
"Mikel is no doubt a good player whose services will be well appreciated by the squad," Eguavoen told Kick Off.
"But we need to let it be clear that for any player to get a place in the team, he needs to prove himself not with what he has done in the past, but what he is doing presently."
