By Daily Sports on October 22, 2019

Defenders are usually judged by experts in the game on a number of qualities that include the ability to time tackles well, make accurate passes from the back that helps in the build-up play of the team and the mental and physical toughness to get stuck into battles and not whimp away with from contact.

Three years ago, fans at the Samuel Ogbemudua Stadium in Benin City were astonished to see a very young, then 14-year old defender file out for his then youth team against professional side Bendel Insurance in the FA cup and demonstrated all these qualities so impressively.

A player that young, and with a not too imposing frame at that time, holding his own against bulkier and more illustrious professionals is not too common, but Oluwatimilehin Adeniyi is a special breed of center back and he has marched on finely since 2016 to become a promising junior international who is set to play a part for Nigeria’s Under-17 team, the Golden Eaglets as they get set to begin the World Cup campaign in football’s home, Brazil.

Adeniyi’s inclusion in the team marks a happy turn around for the Sporting Dreams FC (a youth club based in Abuja) player after the steely defender suffered a serious knee injury just after the West Africa junior Nations Cup in Niger. The injury would keep him out of the African cadet Nations Cup competition in Tanzania.

One fan of his said: “I feared for the worse for him after the injury. I was sorry for him because it’s a harrowing experience to suffer a serious injury just when you had your dreams set for the Nations Cup and World Cup.”

Adeniyi’s coach at Sporting Dreams and one man who has cared for the lad almost as a personal child of his, Nnamdi Onuigbo was also pained by the injury.

“It was a tough period for him, missing the Golden Eaglets squad to the junior Nations Cup in Tanzania was hard to take, but we were united by faith and prayer through the dark period,” Onuigbo says.

Adeniyi followed the team’s progress in Tanzania with bathed breadth as the struggled to finish 4th. He sent messages of motivation to his teammates and he too was well aware that if he haboured any dreams of featuring in the World Cup in Brazil, then his teammates had to make it happen by qualifying. Qualified they did, albeit unconvincingly.

Adeniyi’s recovery went well, just in time to rejoin the Golden Eaglets led by coach Manu Garba in the latter stages of preparations for Brazil.

It is a testament to the importance of Adeniyi to the team that he made the final squad list despite the flurry of behind the scenes intrigues that usually characterise squad selections at the national team level.

Though a centre back primarily, Adeniyi showed his versatility during the West African Under-17 junior Nations Cup in Niger where he was drafted to the right full back position after the regular player in that position failed the MRI test at the last minute. Adeniyi gave a fine account of himself there, showing mobility, power and also getting a goal to help Nigeria finish second in that competition.

It is this versatility that makes the dark-skinned lad so vital to the Eaglets as they prepare to take on Hungary in Goiania on October 26 in their World Cup opener.

The Eaglets will then face Ecuador at the same venue on October 29 and later tackle Australia in Brasilia on November 1 in a Group B encounter.

Onuigbo is elated about the prospects of his boy. “God is great. Timi fought back from injury to make the cut. I’m backing him to help the Eaglets have a successful World Cup,” he says.

Adeniyi’s success in Brazil would be not only a good thing for himself and his family as he would be positioning himself to make a dream move to successful European club football, it would also represent big fulfillment for his current grassroots club Sporting Dreams FC who could surely make do with the training compensation and solidarity payment that the successful transfer of the player to a foreign professional club could bring.

•PHOTO: Adeniyi

Source Daily Sports

Posted October 22, 2019

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