Super Eagles striker Tolu Arokodare has revealed that he was not surprised to be left out of the Super Eagles squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, admitting that his performances and limited game time at club level made his omission understandable.

Arokodare, who joined Wolves last summer following an impressive campaign with KRC Genk, failed to make the final squad for the biennial tournament despite initially being named in the provisional list.

The Wolves forward watched from home as the Super Eagles went on to claim the bronze medal in Morocco, defeating Egypt 4-2 on penalties in the third-place playoff.

Speaking to Counter Attack, Arokodare revealed that he had already anticipated his omission after a disappointing outing against DR Congo during the Fifa World Cup qualifying playoffs.

"To be very honest, I knew not anybody telling me. Since that Congo game because I would be very honest," Arokodare revealed. 

"That Congo game, the way I came on and off, and the way the result went, I don't want to talk about the chance I missed because anybody can miss a chance. I obviously was trying to score."

Arokodare explained that he took a realistic view of his situation, noting that his limited minutes at the club level and the strong competition in the national team attack made his chances slim.

"The way my last game went with the national team wasn't really the best and the way the season was going with Wolves. I wasn't playing as many minutes, I am like, Tolu be realistic, if you're the coach, would you call yourself?" he said. 

He pointed to the depth of Nigeria’s striking options, highlighting the presence of established names such as Victor Osimhen and Paul Onuachu, as well as emerging attackers like Akor Adams. 

"Look at the strikers, there was Osimhen, Onuachu, who was the top scorer in Turkey ahead of Osimhen, who is our top scorer in the national team," Arokodare said.

"There is Akor Adams, who is having a very good run with the national team, he was doing very well playing alongside Osimhen.

"So, it was between me, Dessers, Moffi, and Boniface, who were in the same situation as me and he was struggling with fitness."

Despite understanding the coach’s decision, the forward admitted that seeing the final list without his name was still difficult.

"When I saw the list and I didn't see my name, I won't say it was hurtful but I would say, it was painful to know you weren't selected," he expressed. 

Since missing out on the tournament, the Nigerian international has stepped up his performances and earned increased playing time with Wolverhampton Wanderers as the club battle to escape relegation.

Arokodare will be eager to maintain his strong form and will be hoping it earns him a recall to the Nigeria national football team when the next international window opens in March.

Adeyemi Adewale