Umar Sadiq is one of the best players I’ve ever worked with – Samson Siasia

Former head coach of the Nigerian national football team Samson Siasia has hailed forward Umar Sadiq as a ‘very brilliant player’ and one of the best players he’s ever worked with.

Sadiq made his debut for the Super Eagles at the Nations Cup in Cameroon and produced impressive displays – he scored a goal against Guinea-Bissau in the group stage and notably troubled Tunisia’s defence in the last-16 – a game Nigeria ultimately lost.

At club level, the 25-year-old turns out for Almeria in the Spanish second division, where he’s registered nine goals and six assists in 19 starts this season, including a fine strike in his side’s 2-0 victory over Ibiza on Friday.

“Umar Sadiq is a very brilliant player,” Siasia, who coached the player at the U-23 level and won Bronze together at the Rio Olympics in 2016, exclusively told Omasports in Rotterdam.

“As tall as he is, he’s the kind of player that knows how to create chances for himself.

“Look at how he played at the Afcon, played as a sub, scored a goal, and against Tunisia [in the last 16] he tried to create chances. That’s the kind of player that he is, that’s why I believe in him and took him to the Olympic Games in Brazil.

“Look at the goal he scored for Almeria against Ibiza, such a good goal. That’s the kind of player he is. He’s a player that’s very important for Nigeria in the future.”

Siasia disclosed that the former Roma man is “on the radar of so many top clubs in Europe,” adding that he’s one “for the future.”