Okocha Flattered by Remarks of England Coach Allardyce

Okocha Flattered by Remarks of England Coach Allardyce

Nigerian legend Austin Jay Jay Okocha has said he is flabbergasted at the encomiums showered on him by new England coach Sam Allardyce despite his retirement from the game many years ago.

While retaining Wayne Rooney as the Three Lions captain on Tuesday, Allardyce boldly encouraged him to follow the example of Jay Jay Okocha, who, according to the England coach, is the greatest captain he ever worked with.

The pair – Big Sam and Jay Jay, accomplished great things together during their time at Bolton Wanderers, and the manager still holds the former Eagles skipper in high esteem.

In his reaction, Okocha, said he was overwhelmed to be so fondly remembered by his former manager, Punch writes.

“His comments make me feel so good and fulfilled. Sometimes we do things the way we know best without knowing how well and far it goes with other persons,” he said.

“I was just working the way I felt the work should be done; I never knew it made his (Allardyce) work easier too.

“I am proud of what I achieved at Bolton and in football.”

Jay Jay, who joined Bolton in 2002 after a four-year spell at French giants Paris Saint Germain, also had kind words for his former manager.

“He was a good manager. He knows how to get the best out of his players. You could see what happened to Newcastle after he left there. He’s really a good coach and deserves the England job.

His appointment didn’t come as a surprise to me.”