Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr will be keen to get positive news on his top striker Odion Ighalo who picked up an injury in the Chinese Super League clash between his club Shanghai Shenhua and Tianjin Teda on Friday, Completesports.com reports.
Ighalo picked up the injury in the 12th minute of the encounter played at Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium and was replaced by Wu Yizhen.
The game ended in a 1-1 draw Giovanni Moreno cancelling out Jonathan ‘ s opener for Tianjin Teda.
The former Watford star has scored seven goals in nine league games for Shanghai Shenhua this season.
The striker is currently the third highest goal scorer in the CSL behind Graziano Pelle and Eran Zahavi who have scored eight goals each.
Ighalo scored seven goals to emerge top scorer during the qualifiers for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations which will start in Egypt next summer.
He is expected to undergo scan test to determine the severity of the injury which will determine his availability for the AFCON finals.
The 29-year-old bounced back into reckoning with with his impressive displays for the Super Eagles during the qualifiers after enduring a troubled spell at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The Super Eagles are expected to begin preparation for Egypt 2019 on June 2nd in Asaba , Delta State.
Rohr’s charges will face the Warriors of Zimbabwe in a friendly match on June 8 at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba and will jet out to Ismaila, Egypt to begin final preparation for the competition the next day.
Their final build up game is against the Terangha Lions of Senegal on June 16.
The three-time African champions will come up against Guinea, Madagascar and Burundi in Group D at the competition.
By Adeboye Amosu
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COMMENTS
Who else is aware of the crisis going on in the flying eagles camp and complete sports is yet to report it sometimes I feel even the sports media sector of Nigeria is as corrupt as the administrative sector. Tom dele bashiru and the some foreign born players are said to have left the camp because of bribery issues else they will not make the team even though we know how good they have been and the agent son who is loitering around the camp even though he is uninvited the next thing we hear is that he is playing well. CS we need you to go into the root of this matter and save our football. Aigbogun has brought total disgrace to our local coaches
Bro, these allegations are based on rumours and gossips. No meaningful evidence yet. The websites reporting these are notorious for selling players of Nigerian descent. They always want them to be in any national team, irrespective of their quality or form, just because these players play for youth teams of EPL clubs. “2019 WORLD CUP: Flying Eagles Doomed For Failure In Poland As Bournemouth’s Ofoborh Departs Camp.” This is one of such outrageous headlines. Nigeria have done extremely well in WYC without a single input of Nigerian players born and bred abroad. Now, I read this morning again that the Oforboh guy mentioned in that report took permission to attend Bournemouth’s last EPL match this week and will surely return to camp after that match. As a matter of fact, he scored in the last test game and provided an assist for the flying eagles. He’s not even among those dropped from the team as of now.
I’ve come to notice that we have this very soft spot for foreign born player. No matter what they bring to the table, we always love fair skinned, half caste guys donning our colours. We have forgotten that our best players from independence till now are those born n bred here. The likes of Odegbami, Yekini, Okechukwu, Amubeke, Amokachi, Okocha, KANU and even Mikel were born and raised in Nigeria. If our NFF even know what they are doing, I don’t see any reason why we should rely on diaspora players for U-17 and U-20 assignments, except, maybe, few outstanding talents, proven and tested and far better than what we have at home. Let’s leave these coaches to do their job. Dwelling on rumour and side talks could be a bid distraction to them.
You have spoken my words.Analysing that shameful report, I could easily see the hand work of some cynical agent who may have tried to force players on the manager but failed. They are now doing everything to destroy the team, thinking we football fans are fools to buy into such baseless, stupid n selfish report. Haven said that I beg to disagree with your reasoning about foreign born players. I strongly support invitation of foreign born, they are Nigerians, got same right as every other Nigerian, also our league is not d same as it used to be, again even d best in Nigeria are not even giving a chance as they don’t have d finance n connection to push them through. In fact every Nigerian home and abroad must get fair chance to stake claim because any sensable person will understand that these age grade competition is only for d purposes of the future benefit of the main stream senior national team.
Spot on, Bro. Please get my point; I didn’t in anyway condemn invitation of foreign born players to the national team. I said in my post above that if they are good enough, and better than those we have on ground, why not? But relying heavily on them for international matches could kill our own system of raising players. The 2013 class of Golden Eaglets have only one Makanjuola, a player of Chelsea Fc as at then. Others were raised locally, from different academies, not even NPFL teams. Yet, they won the world championship. That’s as recent as 2013. That’s to tell you that we still have very good, talented kids that could prove very useful if we have an enduring system to breed them. We will not be at the mercy of one club abroad telling us their player has to return to their club in the middle of camping, another one telling us he hasn’t made up his mind, then another returning to UK for GCSE exams. No matter how u look at it, there are always complications in the status and release of these foreign born players. If we are able to get very good ones among them who are willing and available, fine. But we should focus more on home grown talents , not the ones raised by another country for us.
True Papafem, while I quite agree with you about helping our football to grow, I ll like to make clear here, that the only criteria for invitation to national team should be d best of the best both home and abroad. Anyone starting academies purely to feed d national team to me aside being selfish, is being narrow minded n that is a problem on its own for Nigeria football, never gonna help. Rather these academies should be producing talents for our club sides thus improving d level of play in our league which altogether will greatly improve our football, whereby our club sides will start winning almost every club side competition in Africa like England is now doing in Europe.
When this happens our football will start to attract loads of investors. Our football will become a much desired brand and if well managed, even some of our foreign born will wanna come play in our league just like its happening in North Africa leagues, South Africa n even just like Osazee odewingie did. This should be our goal
God bless you bro. our under 20 coach is very very corrupt. no one should hope on this set of players during the tournament. bunch of players who paid there way to be with the team.
corruption in Nigeria football can not stop unless EFCc involve and probe them all both national team coaches, all Nigeria coaches love to collect bribe, look at how we miss alaba, Ali, ogbonna, Adebayo, we can only discover our cristiano Ronaldo and Messi from Players who came from poor families, no one to help them go far,they raw talented players without academy experience, Nigeria corruption affect everywhere, everybody eye dey red, tuffiakwa
NFF, pls and pls start to investigate or probe the corruption story going on in the under 20 camp under coach Aigbogun. For the sake of the nation’s future team and posterity on how well you (NFF) sanitized our football. Why are those players grumbling, dumping the team, bribery reports, secret invitation of players, etc
NFF pls act now for the truth would certainly be out!!!
Who is this Aigbogun by the way, ?
Obviously, it is a Bini’s name but, it appeared to be a ‘fake Bini man’.
Edo/Bini sons have coached various National teams in the past but never like this fake Edo man. Please folks out there, don’t judge us by this fake Edo’s name o.
This Aigbogun is a corrupt man to the cure.
Osazea Odemwingie was raised in Benin City. Played all his youth games in Oredo before he joined Bendel Insurance. If you live in Benin City as l did, during his playing days, you would have certainly known and heard about his prowess. His dad was a very sociable man who was a good friend of mine in the early Eighties. Osazea has, till to date, iconic buildings and a reputable Hotel in Benin City to demonstrate his unforgettable love for the City that gave him his wonderful up-bringing.
This Aigbogun just came from nowhere to tannish Edo people’s name and it is shocking to us, l must confess. l shall look him up after the match in Poland which, l must warn folks, may come with a disappointing ending
Oh No! Hopefully, The Injury Is A Minor One.. Ighalo please Get Well Soon o!
INASMUCH as i dont like the unseriousness of aigbogun in his camp handling ethics…dont read much into any story from that notorious bribe seeking-blackmailing reporter called ifeanyi Emmanuel from allnigeriasoccer.com his works are nothing but sensationalism at its best!
He’s not as professional as Kenneth Ezaga(zeegee) of the defunct africaplays or our much revered mumini Alao or even collin Udoh
@oakfield bribery i can’t defend but pls aigbogun’s selection is everything but tribalism,as there are even none from his own home state judging from names in camp
Get well soon Odion Jude Ighalo
Aigbogun has not failed yet so shouldn’t be condemned before the start of the tournament.
However,reading unconfirmed stories from some random websites making him out to be corrupt shouldn’t be bought into.Candidly,i was impressed by his team during the playoffs and i believe he’s on course to go a step or more better.
I believe some dropped players could be venting their anger for not making the team by saying all sorts about this revered gaffer.