Head coach of the Super Falcons, Coach Randy Waldrum has given an update on Leicester City and Falcons defender, Ashleigh Plumptre ahead of Nigeria’s clash against Burundi today in Rabat, Morocco.
Since she switched her nationality to represent Nigeria, the 24-year-old centre-back, seemed to have earned a spot always starting games, however, she was not in the squad for Nigeria’s last match.
Plumptre was in action in Nigeria’s Group C opener against South Africa at the 12th Women African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) which ended 2-1 in favour of the latter. In the next match against Botswana, Ashleigh Plumptre did not start the game or the list of substitutes with speculations suggesting she was injured.
In the pre-match conference ahead of Nigeria’s game against Burundi, the 65-year-old gaffer provided an update on the centre-back with strong indications she will be back in time for the quarter-finals fixture if Nigeria qualifies for the next round.
“On Plumptre, I haven’t spoken to the doctor today. We’ll kind of get an idea of where she is, but there’s a good possibility.
“But, we’ll hold her again, just to make sure she’s ready for the quarter-final match, but at the same time, we would also consider giving her some time to make sure she gets some minutes under her belt before the quarter-final match.
“So that’s going to be a medical decision that we’ll make with the doctor. But again, if this were the quarter-final right now, she would be playing, so she’s capable of playing. It’s just, we also wanna be smart about, having her for the long haul.” Waldrum said.
Nigeria will need at least a draw to secure a place in the quarter-finals as they square off against Burundi by 9 pm Nigeria time later today.
Ayoola Adeleke live in Rabat, Morocco.