Interim coach of the Super Eagles, Augustine Eguavoen, has sent out a strong message to striker, Umar Sadiq Umar, ahead of Nigeria’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, Round of 16 tie with Tunisia on Sunday.

Eguavoen informed Sadiq not to let what individuals state trouble him, adding that the Super Eagles have a great deal of confidence in him.

Sadiq got his full debut in Nigeria’s last 2021 AFCON Group D tie against Guinea-Bissau, however he stopped working to impress.

The 24-year-old battled with the ball on his feet and was wasteful in front of goal against Guinea-Bissau.

Sadiq’s night was saved thanks to a dazzling pass from Kelechi Iheanacho, which he calmly finished from close range as Nigeria beat Guinea-Bissau 2-0.

Sadiq’s efficiency against Guinea-Bissau left numerous Super Eagles fans with enigma over his quality.

But speaking ahead of Nigeria’s AFCON last-16 tie with Tunisia on Sunday, Eguavoen said Sadiq must firstly look for a help before attempting to score a goal.

“We have a great deal of self-confidence in him [Sadiq] He has been scoring goals for his club. We know this is the national group,” Eguavoen stated at his pre-match press conference on Saturday.

“This is a huge stage. He should to start with search for an assist before trying to rating. He is an integral part of this team. We have absolute self-confidence in him.

“He is very young and we can understand that. As a striker, the very first thing in his mind is to score objectives. That is an instinct and that is regular, however this is a team.

“We believe in you when you have an opportunity to score in a video game you score if you don’t simply pass the ball.

“We have a great deal of self-confidence in you, so you are still part of this group. Do not let what other people are speaking about you trouble you.”