Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has been ruled out of Nigeria’s opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau after his recovery from a right adductor muscle strain took longer than expected, completesports.com reports.
This is according to a report by the Super Eagles media officer Promise Efoghe on Saturday.
Osimhen was included in the Super Eagles squad for the international window as there were hopes he would regain full fitness in time for the qualifiers.
However, his expected return was delayed after he was not available for Galatasaray’s Süper Lig clash against Trabzonspor on September 19.
The match had been seen by both club and national team officials as an important fitness assessment for Osimhen.
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“Victor Osimhen’s recovery from a muscle strain has been slower than expected,” the report by Efoghe stated. “He was included in Nigeria’s squad for the AFCON qualifiers because Galatasary and Super Eagles technical crew were hopeful he would be fit for the super lig game versus Trabzonspor and ready for the international window.
“But his absence from tonight’s match confirms Galatasary’s correspondence to Super Eagles manager Eric Chelle that the striker is still recovering and will not be ready for Nigeria’s matches.”
The Super Eagles are billed to take on Madagascar on September 25 before facing Guinea-Bissau on September 29.
Osimhen has made four league appearances for Galatasaray this season, scoring six goals and providing two assists.
By James Agberebi
