Former Super Eagles and Everton striker, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, has blamed injuries as the major reason his then teammate at Everton, Victor Anichebe, never realized his full potential despite having the world at his feet from a very young age.
After breaking into Everton’s first team from the club’s youth academy, Anichebe was chased by both England and Nigeria’s national teams due to the apparent talent he had in front of goal. He chose to represent Nigeria but a string of injuries limited his game time for club and country.
After spending seven years at boyhood club Everton, Anichebe was sent to West Bromwich Albion before signing for Sunderland after three years at West Brom which also saw him play inconsistently due to injuries.
Sunderland were relegated and in order to trim the wage bill, Anichebe was shipped to second-tier Chinese outfit Beijing Enterprises in 2017 before he left the club. He is currently a free agent as a lot of clubs are wary of signing him due to his injury history and Yakubu feels Anichebe would have had a different career had it not been for injuries.
“I remember when I moved to Everton, he was very young and was like 16 or 17 years old,” Ayegbeni told Goal.com
“He is big and strong and I know he has the talent, it is just a shame he didn’t push it from there because of injury.
“Whenever he is fit, he plays so well and whenever he is injured, he is out for at least two months before returning again. He is a good boy and he is just unlucky.
“For Anichebe, I’m sure he misses football because he has the qualities as a football player.
“Whenever he is always out injured, I miss him because I know his ability and what he is capable of doing.
“He is a kind of player that wants to show everybody that he is really good but he never had the chance because of injury, and I’m sure he will feel bad about that.
“Football is about proving your ability week in week out not just one week and being on the sidelines for two months. All the same, I really enjoyed my time with him at Everton.”
