Bolton boss Sam Allardyce is preparing to ask Jay-Jay Okocha to retire from international football with Nigeria. Allardyce is incensed that his captain will miss the Carling Cup semi-finals because of a training camp ahead of the African Nations Cup in Tunisia.
"The best solution for me is if he retires and I will put the question to him," said Allardyce.
"It's probably a better thing that he doesn't go there and stays with us and takes us through to the final."
Okocha is due to fly out shortly after the match against Manchester United on 7 January and could be away for five weeks.
"It's been a magnificent effort and once you get this far, you want your best players.
"He will probably say 'no' to me because it is the African Nations Cup and it would be like asking a European player not to play in the European Championships. But he will have to have a serious think about it. "
The final is being played in Cardiff on 29 February and Allardyce said: "He hasn't played at the Millennium Stadium and I think it would wonderful for him to have it on his CV.
"If he gets there and sees what I mean, I think he will understand the reasons behind why I'm asking."
Meanwhile, Allardyce is set to hand midfielder Ibrahim Ba a long-term contract.
Ba, who was part of the France World Cup winning squad of 1998, signed a deal until the end of this month when he arrived in the summer from AC Milan.
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I think he will understand the reasons behind why I'm asking 