Nathan Tella said he was surprised about his invitation to Nigeria’s squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.

The 24-year-old is among the 23 player unveiled by coach Jose Peseiro for the doubleheader.

Tella born in England to Nigerian parent currently plying his trade with German Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.

“I’m really happy about this first chance to play for my country. That was one of the goals I had set myself for this season,” Tella told Kicker after the win versus Union Berlin.

The forward who scored his first league goal in Bayer Leverkusen’s 4-0 rout of Union Berlin on Sunday, said the call came as a surprise.

“I was surprised. I found out about the nomination after the game in Baku. “I was pretty upset with how I played.

“Receiving such good news gave me a lot of self-confidence for the game (against Union Berlin). I haven’t shown my best performance yet. I can still learn a lot,” Tella added.​

Tella will now battle Simon Moses and Ademola Lookman for place in the Super Eagles squad.