Dubai: A true legend of African football, Sunday Oliseh’s credentials are plain to see. The Nigerian took part in two FIFA World Cups (1994 and 1998) and won the gold medal at the 1996 men’s Olympic football tournament with the Super Eagles. Over the course of his career, the midfielder played for several of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and Ajax.

But Oliseh is now using his expertise and experience in a different capacity. As a member of Fifa’s Technical Study Group (TSG), the 39-year-old has been tasked with analysing the Fifa Under-17 World Cup and has been impressed with what he has seen so far.

“The level is high,” Oliseh told Fifa.com. “What’s particularly stood out for me is the way that most sides really play as a team. Every player is disciplined in their position. That’s unusual in this age category and is a positive development.”

The former Nigeria captain has, of course, been paying close attention to the progress of his young compatriots, who stormed into the semi-finals with some swashbuckling performances. “I’ve been very impressed with Nigeria,” Oliseh said. “The boys are extremely motivated but above all they’re very disciplined, which is very refreshing to see. They have a lot of good individual players.

“The way the side switches from defence to attack is very good, frequently with one-touch passes. That’s difficult to do as it requires a lot of movement, foresight and for all the players to support each other.”

Nigeria were due to play Sweden in the second semi-final on Tuesday.

While the Scandinavians have raised more than a few eyebrows with their progress to the last four in their maiden tournament appearance, another team has surprised Oliseh even more.

“For me it was Uzbekistan, even though they lost to Honduras in the last 16,” he said. “They impressed me a lot in the group stage, as they were superbly organised and made life really tough for their opponents with their tactically astute style of play and their physical strength. All of the players knew what their role was, they pressed well as a team and doubled up on their opponents. You had the feeling they’d done their homework. In the last 16 they lost one of their most important players and made several changes in order to compensate for his absence. That was their undoing in the end.”