Super Eagles forward Emmanuel Dennis has expressed his admiration for Nigerian football legend Yakubu Aiyegbeni and hopes to emulate his success at Blackburn Rovers.
Dennis, 27, joined Blackburn on loan from Nottingham Forest and made his debut in their 2-0 FA Cup loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
It was his first appearance for club or country since April 2024, when he last featured for Watford.
Photo by Getty images
Despite the disappointing result, the Nigerian striker is eager to make his mark at Ewood Park and help the team achieve success.
“I am very hungry. I really want to play football and hope that we are going to have great moments together,” Dennis told *RoversTV.
“I am really excited to be back (playing). I will give my all to the club and I really appreciate them bringing me here. I am going to give them everything. It is a good time (to join) because we are in a very good position in the table and playing good football.
“Before coming here, I analysed how they play and I like it. I hope I can add something to the team and we can have good times together.”
Yakubu is the third highest scorer in the history of the Super Eagles
Dennis grew up watching Yakubu, who had an impressive spell at Blackburn during the 2010/11 season, scoring 17 goals in 30 appearances.
“He scored a lot of goals, so many! Yakubu is really big in Nigeria and African football. His contribution, playing in the Premier League, what a guy! He inspired me in some ways because I watched games and he was a really good player.”
Dennis played 66 minutes at Ewood Park but couldn’t prevent Blackburn’s exit from the FA Cup, as first-half goals from João Gomes and Matheus Cunha secured Wolves’ spot in the next round.