Femi Azeez Discloses Eric Chelle’s Message During Impressive Unity Cup Outing
- Super Eagles new star Femi Azeez has opened up on what Eric Chelle told him during the Unity Cup
- Azeez had an impressive outing during the matches, contributing to three goals to help Nigeria win the title
- Unfortunately, he will not be joining up with the team for the Poland and Portugal games due to club reasons
Super Eagles new star Femi Azeez has opened up on the message Eric Chelle sent to him during his debut for Nigeria in the 2026 Unity Cup.
Azeez was Nigeria’s breakout star of the tournament, scoring a brace in the 2-0 win over Zimbabwe and assisting Terem Moffi during the 3-0 win over Jamaica.
Source: Getty Images
These impressive performances assured Nigerians and called for him to be part of the squad for the international friendlies against Poland and Portugal.
However, EFL Championship club Millwall refused to release the England-born, as he was not originally invited into the squad for the games.
His withdrawal and that of Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman leave the manager short, but he is focused on building a winning team, as noted by NFF.
The versatile forward was open to joining the team, but respected his club’s decisions and looked forward to getting further invites in the future.
“Of course. If he calls me up, that will be great, but let's see what happens,” he told Proudly Austin.
Azeez discloses Chelle’s message
The EFL Championship Team of the Season star has confirmed that Eric Chelle did not place many expectations on him during the Unity Cup, and only told him to be himself.
“I don't think there was any expectation. He called me and said, 'Just do my thing, enjoy myself and see how it goes'. There was no expectation, no pressure,” he said.
The forward also disclosed the secret to his performance as the togetherness and atmosphere in the team, which he claimed was as if they had been together for years.
“Enjoyment. Good vibes here, good team, good management, freedom,” he added.
“It means the world. You know we've only been together for eight days, and we formed a good bond, a good family, and we are all happy, as you can see with the celebrations. We are happy to win the trophy, and hopefully more.”
Source: Instagram
Plymouth Argyle star Owen Oseni, who was one of the new players during the Unity Cup, also outlined Eric Chelle’s demands to the players during training.
“There were three things that the manager wanted from us, and they were very simple things. Just pass and move, and when you get inside the box, finish it off,” he said.
“Obviously, in training we work on a lot of different things, and we have our own methods and formations.”
Why Eric Chelle criticised Femi Azeez
Legit.ng previously reported that Eric Chelle criticised Femi Azeez despite the Millwall star scoring two goals on his Super Eagles debut against Zimbabwe.
The manager hit out at the player for failing to follow instructions, but congratulated him on his match-winning performance for the team.
Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
