Fit-again striker Henry Onyekuru is desperate to prove his fitness and form to force his way into Nigeria’s World Cup squad.
He admits his hopes depend on how he performs in the next two months as he comes back from a serious knee injury.
The 20-year-old is on loan at Belgian club Anderlecht from Everton.
“I have to prove that I’m able and worthy to go and play – once I do that – it’s up to the manager to select the team,” he told BBC Sport.
“There is a lot of competition which is good. We have a strong team good enough to represent the country very well.”
It was originally feared he would be out for up to six months after he suffered the knee injury in an encounter with former team Eupen three days before Christmas.
Onyekuru’s 22 goals for his Belgian top-flight club Eupen last season caught the eyes of the Super Eagles coach and he was given a run out in Nigeria’s last World Cup qualifier in Algeria in November when he came on in the second half of the 1-1 draw.