Nigeria’s football chiefs on Wednesday appointed Sunday Oliseh as coach of the national squadHe will lead them on their journey to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. The 40-year-old replaces his old international team-mate Stephen Keshi.

Oliseh immediately warned that team work was the key to restoring the country’s footballing fortunes.

“It is a great honour to be coach of this nation,” he said at a press conference in Abuja. “First of all, I am not coming as a Messiah. I am not coming as a man who can single-handedly turn Nigeria into Germany.

“I am coming in to do my best and give, if possible, 150 per cent all the time.”

Oliseh turned out for sides in Nigeria, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany during a 17-year playing career.

His first venture into management was as sporting director at Eupen in Belgium. He was in charge of Royal Cercle Sportif Verviétois between 2008 and 2009.

Internationally he played for Nigerian for nine years winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 1994 and gold at the 1996 Olympics.

Oliseh, who scored four times during 63 games for his country, added: “The state we are now in, I think we are all not happy with. Gone are the days where we have individual players who can single-handedly win a match for you.

“But we have the potential and that is our belief and the players must know that it’s an honour to be invited to the national team.”

Under Keshi, Nigeria won the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa in 2013. However they failed to qualify for the 2015 tournament in Equatorial Guinea.

Amaju Pinnick, president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said Oliseh’s first task would be leading the team to the 2017 Cup of Nations.

Comparing Oliseh with Pep Guardiola, the Spanish coach who led Barcelona to 14 trophies in four seasons before leaving for Bayern Munich where he has won two Bundesliga titles, Pinnick added: “We know that Sunday Oliseh can deliver. We are very excited about his advancement. On the field we have not been able to have a replacement for him.

“As a member of the Fifa technical study group, he is vastly travelled and trained. On behalf of the federation we will give him 100 per cent support. We will follow all the clauses of this contract.”