Yakubu
Ayegbeni, the former Nigerian international is far from retirement.
Russell
Slade, boss of Coventry City FC, a Champions league team in UK has confirmed
that Yakubu is now training with the team.
The former
Premier League star, famously called Yak, began the training on Monday. The Sky
Blues believe he could supply the vital
goals needed to avoid relegation.
It is
understood the 34-year-old former Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton, and
Blackburn Rovers striker would stay at the Sky Blues for the rest of the
season, if he can prove his fitness.
Slade said
on Monday: “He’s in, he has had his first training day with us this morning.
“As you
know, he’s played in the UK and his scoring records are very good.
“He is 34
now, his last club was in Turkey. He hasn’t played for a while which is the
only concern, but great pedigree. Goals wise, it is one in two.
“If that is
the sort of thing he can do for us then we’ve got to be interested.”
It is
understood Slade believes the former Nigeria international Yakubu ‘looked good’
in training and he will want to assess him in more competitive game situations.
Slade
revealed last week a player with a ‘big reputation’ would be joining in
training at Ryton today.
Yak who in 2005 moved from Middlesbrough to
Portsmouth for £7.5million, is considering re-establishing his playing career
in the UK after a year at Turkish Super League club Kayserispor.
He scored 96
goals in the English Premier League between 2003 and 2012.
The Sky
Blues have failed to register a single goal in the last four league games, and
with new loan recruits Michael Folivi and Charles Vernam injured, Russell Slade
is desperately short of attacking options.
Yakubu,
should he sign, could provide the quality and experience the Sky Blues are
looking for.
Here’s
everything you need to know about the striker:
Where it all
began
Yakubu was
born in Benin City, Nigeria on November 22, 1982, where he began playing
football in the streets without any shoes.
He started
his career at Julius Berger FC in Lagos before being loaned out to Portuguese
club Gil Vicente.
First break
The Nigerian
joined Israeli club Maccabi Haifa in 1998 for $300,000.
At just
19-years-old, Yakubu shot himself to fame after grabbing a Champions League
hat-trick against Olympiacos in 2002.
Later that
season, he scored a penalty for the Israeli giants against Manchester United in
the same competition.
England is
calling
Harry
Redknapp first introduced Yakubu to the English game when he signed the striker
on loan for Championship club Portsmouth in 2003.
The powerful
forward helped secure Pompey’s promotion, and was subsequently awarded a
permanent deal on the South coast, in a £4m move.
In his first
Premier League campaign, Yakubu finished on 16 goals, making him Portsmouth’s
leading scorer.
In a £7.5m
move to Middlesbrough, the highest fee ever paid for a Nigerian at the time,
Yakubu helped Boro reach the 2006 UEFA Cup final in his first campaign.
The
Teessiders lost 4-0 against Sevilla on that night in Holland.
Time on
Merseyside
Yakubu
joined Everton in August 2007 for a fee of £11.25m, which at the time, was the
highest transfer fee ever paid by the Toffees.
The forward
started his spell at Everton in spectacular fashion after taking just 11
minutes to opened his account for the club at Bolton.
He scored 29
goals during his four years at Goodison Park, before moving on to Blackburn in
2011 for £1.5m.
Dollar signs
After a
stint at Ewood Park, he moved to Chinese club Guangzhou R&F in July 2012,
on a three-year deal.
He made his
Chinese Super League debut in a derby match with Guangzhou Evergrande, and
grabbed a late winner to end their rivals’ 34-match unbeaten record at home.
Return to
England
The Nigerian
striker returned to British soil after his contract ended in China, to sign for
Reading in February 2015.
The
34-year-old scored his first and only goal in an FA Cup win at Derby County to
put the Royals into the quarter final of the competition.
He was
released after one season, and subsequently moved to the Turkish Super Lig
after signing for Kayserispor in the summer of 2015.
Yakubu
failed to register a single goal in Turkey, and since February 2015, he has
only scored the one professional goal.
Now a free
agent, the former Nigerian international, who scored 21 goals in 57 appearances
for his country, is currently looking for a new club.
His
notorious chant “Feed the Yak and he will score” could drown out the Ricoh
Arena at some point soon.
(NAN)
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