Black Stars of Ghana Captain, Asomoah Gyan has picked Taiwo Awoniyi as his favourite Eaglet. Awoniyi who is the type of striker you only notice when paying close attention during a match won the Gyan’s heart with his powerful surges and ability to create chances upfont.

Asamoah Gyan

The Ghana international who was at the Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium on Tuesday when the Eaglets delivered a crushing  4-1 defeat to Iran  said, “I like him, that No18, Awoniyi,” adding “he does all the work up there and creates a lot. This is my kind of player.”

When Gyan’s praises were passed on to young Awoniyi after the game, his face lights up like a bulb. “Wow,” he said bashfully, shuffling his feet on the floor. “He [Gyan] is such a great striker and he knows that it isn’t always about scoring. A lot of times you have to work hard so that your teammates can be the ones to get the goals.”

Awoniyi knows better than anyone that his time is limited. The Nigerian coach has said Awoniyi’s place in the next match would be determined by Isaac’s fitness.

The coach pulled no punches after the Iran win about who he prefers up front. “When Success gets to 75 per cent fitness, we will use him again,” the coach said of Isaac, whose spinning volley against Sweden will go down as one of the best goals in tournament history. “Our attack revolves around him.”