Assistant coach of Nigeria’s Under 20 football team, the Falconets, Mansur Abdullahi, has lauded Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, on his retirement from international football.

On Thursday, Troost-Ekong announced his retirement on Instagram after a decade with the national team, which includes 83 caps, three medals and featuring in five major tournaments.

Fans have been sending tributes to the skipper, with Abdullahi adding his voice on Friday.

He said, “The player has paid his dues and contributed his quota to the success of the team. His style of leadership has been incredible, and though he might have had his own lapses, we should not dwell on his errors.

“We can only hope that the incoming captain will pick one or two lessons from his predecessors and help the team, especially as the African Cup of Nations in Morocco (AFCON) approaches. We can only wish Ekong all the best and  I am sure the team will definitely miss him,’’ Abdullahi added.

Troost-Ekong, who plays for Al-Kholood in the Saudi Pro League, was born in The Netherlands to a Dutch mother and Nigerian father.

After representing The Netherlands at youth level, he committed his senior international future to Nigeria, making his debut in June 2015 in an AFCON qualifying match against Chad.

His tally of five goals at the AFCON remains the highest scored by a defender in the history of the competition.

This will now stand as an unbroken record following his decision to step away from the team.

The defender scored eight goals in 83 appearances, with his final outing coming as a late substitute against Gabon on November 13.

He has not featured prominently under head coach Eric Chelle recently and was an unused substitute in the World Cup play-off loss to DR Congo, a defeat that confirmed Nigeria’s failure to reach the tournament.

His reduced role in recent months came as he dropped down the pecking order behind Benjamin Fredrick in Chelle’s defensive plans.

Troost-Ekong was included in Nigeria’s provisional 54-man squad for the forthcoming AFCON in Morocco in December, and the final list is expected to be trimmed to 28 players.

The squad is due to begin camp in Egypt on December 10 ahead of the tournament’s start on December 21. (NAN)