Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi has been recalled to Nigeria's squad to play Liberia on 13 October in the 2013 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi surprisingly dropped the player for the 2-2 draw in the first leg in Monrovia earlier this month.
Mikel has yet to play for the Eagles since Keshi took over the team in November, while rumours aroused that the latest omission was proposed by the coach who intends to depend on new faces in his squad in the coming period.
"I am not here to shut any player out of the Eagles especially if you are commanding a regular shirt in your club," Keshi was quoted by Nigerian media.
"I was not arm-twisted to invite Mikel to be part of the team," added the former Togo coach.
Nigeria needs a win in the return leg scheduled for the Southern city of Calabar to book a place in the tournament proper scheduled for next January in South Africa.
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