Nigerian striker Umar Sadiq has expressed confidence in the appointment of Eric Chelle as the Super Eagles head coach.

Chelle was announced as the head coach of the three-time African champions on January 7.

His appointment has been divisive, as many fans have criticized the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for appointing a non-Nigerian African to lead the team.

Many football enthusiasts believe that several local managers have a better pedigree than the 47-year-old Malian international.

Sadiq, who is currently on loan at Valencia from Real Sociedad, believes Eric Chelle has the ability to take the Eagles to the next level.

“You can see what he did in the last AFCON. Everyone was thinking that Mali was among the favourites,” Sadiq told Sporty TV.

“You can see how they played. They were so good, but they got knocked out in the quarterfinals because sometimes it is not the best that wins.

“But I can tell you I watched a lot of games of Mali because I have a teammate there. And you can see how they play. You can see the coach (Chelle) has a lot of things.”

“If Eric Chelle brings Mali’s style of play to Nigeria, I think we will go a long way forward.”