Nigeria players reportedly wanted Alex Iwobi dropped in favour of Ahmed Musa before their game against Guinea on Wednesday.

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Alex Iwobi of Arsenal reacts during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Leicester City at Emirates Stadium on October 22, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 22: Alex Iwobi of Arsenal reacts during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Leicester City at Emirates Stadium on October 22, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

SCORENigeria claim that sources in Egypt, where the AFCON is currently taking place, “have been pushing for Ahmed Musa to start ahead of Alex Iwobi.”

They reportedly believe that Musa has the speed needed for a long-ball counter-attacking game while Iwobi is more comfortable drifting into the middle.

“Ahmed Musa is the man for the big occasion as he has shown at the last two World Cups,” the unnamed source told SCORENigeria

“And you could also see the urgency he brought to the attack in the game against Burundi when he came on.”

The Arsenal forward started for his country against Guinea but was replaced after 78 minutes while Musa also started and finished the game. The 23-year-old is making his first appearance at the competition and played the full 90 in their first game against Burundi.

Nigeria won both games 1-0.