Will Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi be the next player to announce his retirement from international duty after top stars Vincent Enyeama and Emmanuel Emenike walked out on Nigeria all this month?
What is certain is that there is unease in the Eagles dressing room now supervised by coach Sunday Oliseh.
And this comes when the momentum is gathering for the qualifying tournaments for both the 2017 World Cup and the 2018 World Cup.
Next month, Nigeria will have to brush aside Swaziland to stay in contention for a place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
And in March, they face a double header against group leaders Egypt which could well determine the country’s fate for the 2017 AFCON in Gabon.
It is also clear that the so-called “senior” players in the team are not at ease with the new Sherif in town.
These things are not strange particularly on the arrival of a new boss, who is buzzing to change things as soon as possible.
Unconfirmed reports have suggested Mikel was far from impressed when he was overlooked for the captaincy of the team.
In the full glare of television cameras, he turned down the captain’s armband when Ogenyi Onazi offered it to him in the friendly against DR Congo.
But it must also be pointed out he was also not considered for leadership at Stamford Bridge even though he is one of the longest serving players at the London club.
The coach is the boss and he is the now to decide who will be best to lead his new vision for the team.
He must be as convinced about his choice as he must also be willing to handle the consequences caused by this.
Enyeama’s exit was not totally surprising because he himself has severally hinted that and then added to the drama in June in Kaduna and then the major falling out between player and coach in Belgium, it was clear only one captain will stay on to steer this ship.
In the case of Emenike, Oliseh has always been a big fan and rose to the striker’s defence when his recall caused a national outrage even after the coach had declared he would pick only players featuring in the “top leagues” in Europe and Emenike is currently plying his trade in Dubai.
There were even some who suggested Oliseh was merely doing Emenike a big favour because he has lost his way since he top scored at the 2013 AFCON that Fenerbache would later ship him out on loan because he had become surplus to requirement.
For a striker to have gone two full years without a goal for the country must be a major source of concern and national team selectors ought to now look elsewhere for the man they could count on for goals.
Beyond his lack of goals, Emenike’s comments on his retirement begged for more questions than answers.
He spoke about “Super Eagles is not anybody's family house”, “pleased to call it off at this point in order to avoid insults” and “the coach should have been able to handle the situation better”.
Nigeria is bigger than a player or a coach and it is neither here nor there should the country’s “senior” players suddenly not be comfortable with the new boss.
What is most paramount is that the coach holds on to his ideas and convictions. He should succeed or fail on his own terms.
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