Despite missing the Super Falcons' doubleheader friendly against Canada, head coach Randy Waldrum has disclosed that former captain Asisat Oshoala, and other key members of the squad, have not been abandoned.
A recently concluded tour in Canada, saw the Super Falcons lose 2-0 in their first encounter with the Olympic champions in Vancouver, before pulling off a 2-2 draw in the second game in Langford, three days later.
The two-match tour was part of the team's preparations for the 2022 Women Africa Cup of Nations (AWCON) finals taking place in Morocco between July 2 to July 23.
With the likes of Barcelona Femini attacker Asisat Oshoala, Wuhan Jianghan Ladies forward Desire Oparanozie and defender Osinachi Ohale, unable to have made the trip to Canada, Waldrum revealed that the case will not be the same for the AWCON in July.
"Just as you can see, we are trying different players, some other good players like Asisat [Oshoala], [Desire] Oparanozie, [Osinachi] Ohale and more, will be joining for AWCON," the 65-year-old American said while responding to EaglesTracker.
He further stated that most of the players that made the trip to Canada will still be on the flight to the AWCON. He, however, particularly hinted that the return of some players will be needed to strengthen the team.
"It will be a different squad but most of these players will still be in the team selection," Waldrum said.
The Super Falcons are expected to proceed to Morocco later in July where they will participate against eleven other teams in the 14th edition of the AWCON. The women's continental tournament is expected to double as the African qualifiers for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
The top four teams at the AWCON will then qualify for the World Cup, with two more teams proceeding to the inter-confederation play-offs to seek a place in the 2023 Australia-New Zealand co-hosted tournament.
Nigeria, are the AWCON defending champions and have won the tournament a record 11-times.