Keshi warns Martins

Obafemi Martins’ Africa Nations Cup hopes may end up as a dream if he doesn’t step up his game, Super Eagles chief coach Stephen Keshi has told him.

The Levante striker Martins made a long-awaited return to the national team on Thursday in the Super Eagles 3-1 win over Venezuela in an AFCON warm-up in Miami, Florida, USA but the tactician wasn’t impressed with his form and charged him to improve as he did not see his full potentials in the match.

The below par Martins and was replaced on the hour by his former Newcastle teammate Shola Ameobi, who was making his debut for Nigeria.

“He needs to step up his game because I know he can do better than he did because he has the potentials but I did not see much of him,” said Keshi after the game.

‘Obagoal’ shone in training in the USA, but had at least two chances to make hay against Venezuela so as to stake a strong claim for a place in the Eagles squad to next year’s Nations Cup in South Africa.