JAY-JAY Okocha's withdrawal from Nigeria's World Cup squad has opened the door for Blessing Kaku to return to the international stage.

Kaku is one of five players drafted into the Super Eagles squad for Saturday's crucial qualifier in Gabon after a spate of injuries forced national coach Christian Chuwu into a major rethink.

The call came yesterday afternoon after Okocha confirmed that he had no option but to pull out after aggravating a groin problem at the weekend.

Kaku had not expected his switch to the Premiership to put him back in the international frame quite so soon. A member of Nigeria's Olympic squad for the Sydney games, he has not been capped since making his second full international appearance four years ago and made it clear after he joined Wanderers from the Israeli club, Ashdod, that his first priority was to establish himself in Sam Allardyce's squad.

"I would love to play for my country again," he said in an interview with the Bolton Evening News. "But what I am mostly keen about now is playing for my new team, to try to develop and grow in my career.

"My first priority now is Bolton and not the national team."

Nevertheless, a solid debut for Wanderers in the Carling Cup win at Yeovil a fortnight ago and a Premiership bow as a second half substitute at West Brom has turned heads in Nigeria.

That ill-fated game at The Hawthorns effectively put Okocha out of the Gabon qualifier and put a question-mark over his fitness for Wanderers' Premiership clash with Crystal Palace at the Reebok on Saturday week. He is due to see a specialist to determine the extent of the groin problem that kept him out of the Birmingham game and which forced him to limp off after just 34 minutes.

Okocha, who complained of suffering a reaction to the injury after training last Thursday, said he was reluctant to play against Albion.

"I was not too keen to feature against West Brom as I did not feel fit enough for the game," he told BBC Sport. "The manager asked that I play and unfortunately I ended up worsening the injury.

"As a result there is no way I can play against Gabon. I don't know how long I will have this injury but I should get a better picture after seeing the doctors."

Henrik Pedersen has shrugged off an injury scare to confirm his fitness for Denmark's World Cup double-header.

The Wanderers top scorer, who was substituted at West Brom where Allardyce suggested he was hampered by an Achilles injury, has reported for training with the Danes ahead of their qualifiers away to Albania on Saturday and at home to Turkey next Wednesday and is tipped to get his first international start.

Pedersen, back on the international scene following the retirement of the Schalke striker Ebbe Sand, made his first international appearance for four years as a second half substitute in the 1-1 draw with Ukraine in Copenhagen last month. Now an injury to Peter Madsen, who plays for the German club, Vfl Bochum, means he could be in the starting line-up in Tirana.