Standard Liege midfielder Uche Agbo fears he will be axed by manager Gernot Rohr when the German announces his 23-man roster for the 2018 World Cup.

The former Watford, Udinese and Granada man has been a regular since he joined the Belgian First Division A team last summer but has lost his first-choice status in the last three matches.

Standard Liege manager Sá Pinto now prefers Marin and Gojko Cimirot in the center of midfield ahead of the Nigeria international.

In truth, Uche's inclusion in the Super Eagles 35-man squad list is not a foregone conclusion as the midfielder has made only only appearance to date for the Super Eagles despite receiving invitations for all the national team's games since September 2016.

''He (Uche) does not think he is not in the  23-man squad, he just wants to focus on Standard Liege and get his starting spot as soon as possible,'' a source close to Uche told DH.be.

Uche is competing for spots in the Nigerian midfield with captain John Obi Mikel, assistant captain Eddy Onazi, Oghenekaro Etebo, Wilfred Ndidi, John Ogu, Joel Obi and Mikel Agu.

Igho Kingsley