Everton striker, Victor Anichebe, has put his international career with Nigeria on hold to “manage his body accordingly”. Lagos-born Anichebe, 25, has said that for the time being, he does not want to be considered for Nigeria. He had been tipped for a return to the Nigerian squad for June’s World Cup qualifiers and Confederations Cup, replacing the injured Emmanuel Emenike.

“The best thing for me at the moment is to focus on club football,” he said. “I don’t blame anyone for this nor do I have any issues with anybody from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) or Stephen Keshi our coach.” Anichebe has been plagued by injuries over the past few years, including a groin problem on his last appearance for Nigeria in a 2–0 win over Madagascar in 2011. He insists he is proud to play for his country, but for the moment, his Premier League side, Everton, is his priority.

“Without club football there is no international football and everyone at Everton was with me every step of the way during my injuries and rehabilitation and so, I owe it to the club to manage myself correctly,” he explained. “I did’t feel that the Nigerian federation was there for me then in the same manner, which was especially disappointing given that I got the injury representing my country. But I don’t blame anyone for this nor do I have any issues with anybody “Stephen Keshi, our coach, has done a fantastic job and he is building a team that Nigerians can be proud of,” he said.

-culled from the sun 2/5/2013