CSKA Moscow are under heavy pressure from their fans to re-sign the man of the moment Ahmed Musa this summer.
The Nigeria winger, who has been earning rave reviews for his two classy finish in the Super Eagles’ 2-0 defeat of boastful Iceland in their Group D 2018 World Cup match in front of a crowd of 40,904 at Volgograd Arena on Friday, achieved cult hero status with CSKA supporters after winning the Russian Premier League title thrice in his four seasons at VEB Arena.
The 25-year-old, who has struggled to justify the reported £16m Leicester City paid to snatch him from the Russian powerhouse in 2016, was farmed out on loan back to the Horses for six months last season after he could not get much playing time at the Premier League side to boost his chances of playing at the World Cup.
Musa scored six goals to help CSKA place second behind their eternal rivals Lokomotiv Moscow at the end of last season.
The former Kano Pillars star, who impressed in his 28 minutes on the field after replacing Odion Ighalo in the 2-0 defeat to Croatia in Kaliningrad on June 22, scored in the 49th minute and the 75th minute on Friday to keep alive the Eagles’ second round qualification hope.
CSKA fans, who celebrated the goals in bars in Moscow and many other Russian cities, now want the Militarians to make Musa’s loan deal permanent.
With Arsenal are reportedly hot on the trail the team’s influential attacking midfielder AleksandrGolovin, who has already grabbed a goal and two assists in Russia’s opening two victories at the World Cup, our correspondent learnt that CSKA supporters are mounting pressure on manager Viktor Goncharenko to re-sign Musa.
The South Africa 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner told reporters after stealing the show at the Volgograd Arena that he would jump on the opportunity to return to VEB Arena.
He said, “In the next two weeks, I will decide if I’m going to stay or leave.
“If it’s possible to come back to CSKA, I would love to, it’s my die-hard club.
“There is nothing I can pay them for the past seasons I’ve been with them other than to say ‘thank you very much’.
“They helped me get back to the style of play I had today. Were it not for CSKA, I would not have been in the World Cup.”
