Tunde Disu, a former coach of the Flying Eagles has blamed the non-transition of most age-grade football players to the next level, on the poor quality of their play.

He noted that most of the age-grade players in the country were unable to raise the level of their game, thereby falling short of the required standard at a higher level.

 

“There is a standard required at the various national levels and all players cannot meet the level of play usually expected of them at the level they are transiting to.It is not possible for all the players that have featured in our age-grade competitions to make the national team,” the former coach said.

Disu,who coached the Flying Eagles at the Saudi ’89 version of the FIFA U-20 World Cup and the Nigeria’99 edition of the competition, noted, however, that the coach usually called the shots.

“It is left to the coach to decide on the kind of players he wants to invite from the junior team to the senior team, if he has absolute confidence in such players,” he said.

 

The former coach noted that players such as Nduka Ugbade, Nwankwo Kanu and Mikel Obi transited from the age-grade team into the nation’s senior team.

Disu urged players in the age-grade teams to be focused and put in their best whenever they were invited for trials into the senior national team.

“It is only through hard work that they can excel, no matter the level they transit to,” he said.