There is no dearth of talents in the goldmines of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL). Another bright prospect who may well continue this tradition is the 18 year old Enyimba winger, Clinton Jeptha, who many consider to be the next big thing in the making, after his great goal for Nigeria U20 against Cote d’Ivoire at the ongoing WAFU Cup on Thursday afternoon. Jeptha controlled a well placed pass from Sulaiman Alabi Jojo with his dangerous right foot before poking home in a great way.
Background:
Seeing his progress as a raw boy, One Rocket signed this promising lad. It didn’t take long for Jeptha to show his true potential as he was a star of the Akwa Ibom based team. Niger Tornadoes were highly impressed with his performance and snapped him up. The boy bagged eight goals and three assists in his only season for the Ikon Allah Boys before joining Enyimba ahead of the 2024/25 term.
Scout Report:
Jeptha is primarily a winger but can double up as a striker as and when required. Equally comfortable with both the feet, he has a really sweet right foot.
This 18 year old winger, has glimpses of Eden Hazard in him. The lad covers the ground very quickly thanks to his blistering pace. He is gifted with great body balance and excellent acceleration, which allows him to take on any fullbacks easily. His dribbling abilities are already top notch, almost flawless. His style of play induces the defenders to take out a lazy foot and help him win a foul. His change of pace and extremely skillful nature makes it very difficult for the defenders to catch hold of him. Jeptha casually skipping past vastly experienced defenders has become a common sighting for any NPFL enthusiasts. He’s also a very good crosser of the ball.
Like all the modern wingers, Jeptha loves to cut inside and have a go from long range. His lethal shooting technique and finishing make him a complete goal scoring package. He has already scored 2 goals in the NPFL this season from only 3 appearances. The Nigerian youth international, never hurries into attempting a pass. Always looks around for the options before making a pass. His wise head and clear thought process plays a big part in his passing. Quick one touch passing has become a hallmark of Enyimba and Jephta is perfect for such brand of football.
Defensively, he doesn’t offer as much protection as one would have liked. His work-rate is fairly decent.
One of his drawbacks is that he over-complicates simple things, he tends to over do stuff which isn’t required. He, himself has admitted that he still has to learn to keep things simple. Jeptha, like most of the young wingers, gets dispossessed often. Also, he tends to take one touch too many at times, often resulting in loss of possession. Concentration can also be a problem when things aren’t going his way.
Though, most of these drawbacks can be blamed to the lack of experience and he is only going to learn and improve with more games at higher level and with proper guidance.
Irrespective of where he will in near future, he’s sure to light up the world stage.
Photo Credit: Adeniyi Sirmayor
