Bournemouth midfielder, Philip Biling, has confirmed that head coach of the Super Eagles, Gernot Rohr, asked Alex Iwobi to convince him to play for Nigeria.
According to Billing, in an interview with Danish media, BT, Iwobi discussed this with him, after Bournemouth’s 3-1 victory against Everton in September.
Nonetheless, Iwobi’s approach wasn’t enough to make the player change his decision, as he remains committed to playing for Denmark.
“It wasn’t until when we (Cherries) were going to play against Everton a couple of weeks ago when Alex Iwobi asked if I might be interested in coming and playing for Nigeria.
“He (Iwobi) said the coach had asked me. It was the first time I heard anything concrete myself,” Biling said.
He added: “It’s a pat on the back that another country would like you to play for them. I just take that as a shrug and proof that you are doing well.
“It would feel strange to have to play for Nigeria, even though my father is from there. I am half Nigerian and I feel that way too but I was born and raised in Denmark. My mother is Danish and my sister is Danish, so it would feel strange to have to play for Nigeria.”
The Cherries midfielder will be cap-tied to the Danish national team, if he features in Saturday’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Switzerland.
A day later, Rohr’s men take on Brazil in an international friendly in Singapore.
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