Gift Orban misses out on Nigeria’s provisional AFCON squad despite scoring more goals than former Watford and Nottingham Forest striker | OneFootball

Nigeria’s 40 man provisional squad for the upcoming AFCON in the Cote d’Ivoire has been announced, with Gent forward Gift Orban missing out. This comes despite the 21-year-old having scored more goals this season than both Ahmed Musa and Emmanuel Dennis combined. Yet these two forwards have been included in Jose Peseiro’s squad over Orban.

Last season Orban set the Belgian Pro League alight with his incredible scoring record, yet this season has been a more conservative one for the young striker. He has scored three league goals in 15 matches, with only eight of these being starts. He has fared better in the Europa Conference League, with five goals in five games. When we compare these numbers to those of Musa, the 31-year-old has only played two league games for Sivasspor, failing to score in either. He has scored in the domestic cup, his only goal of the season.

The other striker included over Orban was Dennis. In eight league games in Turkey he too has failed to find the net. The former Club Brugge, Watford and Nottingham Forest striker is still awaiting his first goal for Başakşehir since joining in the summer.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson