Utaka: French club Montpellier appoint John Utaka as youth coach

- John Utaka has been appointed as the youth coach of Montpellier of France

- Nigeria national team has sent a congratulatory message to him

- Utaka played for the club between 2011 and 2013 where he scored 12 goals in his 68 games

Ex-Nigerian international John Utaka has returned to his former club in France, Montpellier, to kick start his career as a football coach.

Utaka played for the club between 2011 and 2013 where he scored 12 goals in his 68 appearances in all competitions.

The 38-year-old has now returned to Stade de la Mosson with the ambition of earning his coaching badge in the Ligue 1 club's youth set-up.

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Ahead of his new sojourn, the Nigeria national team sent a congratulatory message to him.

“And the journey in coaching begins for John Utaka, the attacker with the Montpellier youth coach post. All the best poacher,” the Super Eagles official account wrote.

The former Everton of England defender Joseph Yobo who was recently appointed as the assistant Super Eagles coach was among the first to congratulate Utaka.

Yobo has been appointed as the new Super Eagles assistant coach a few weeks to the kick-off of their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Cup qualifiers.

The country's football apex body, Nigeria Football Federation confirmed the news through one of their official channels.

Yobo, who spent ten years in the Premier League representing Everton football club, takes over from former Rangers International boss Imama Amapakabo.

The former Eagles captain hung his international boots in 2014, after making his third FIFA World Cup appearance in Brazil.

Before his retirement, he helped Nigeria win her third AFCON title when the late Stephen Keshi led the team to conquer Africa.

Legit.ng earlier reported that John Utaka has revealed that during his spell with Montpelier, he sacrificed his role for Olivier Giroud.

The former Nigerian international left Premier League club Portsmouth in the January window to play for the Ligue 1 side in 2011.

Utaka played from the left while Senegalese star Souleyman Camara played on the right and the point man role was left for Giroud.

Their combination in the attack won them the French league ahead of the star-studded Paris Saint-Germain side in the 2011-12 season.

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