28 December 2008
Nigeria's former Under-17 captain Haruna Lukman has signed a professional contract with French first division side Monaco.
The 18-year-old joined Monaco last December on a youth contract after helping Nigeria to win both the African and World Under-17 titles.
Lukman has now been given a three-year deal after some superb performances in the Monaco youth set-up.The midfielder told BBC Sport he is looking forward to the new challenges ahead of him."My primary target is to break into the first team - it won't be easy but I know I can," he said.
"I believe this is just a step forward for me, I have shown patience and dedication over the past year."The club has been supportive and I am still learning, but my feet are firmly on the ground."
Since joining Monaco Lukman has been invited to the Nigerian senior side by coach Shaibu Amodu and trained with the team during the first round of the 2010 World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Lukman will also captain the Flying Eagles squad at the African Youth Championship in Rwanda next month where they will play Ivory Coast, Egypt and South Africa.
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