Super Eagles assistant coach, Joseph Yobo, has admitted that Victor Osimhen will be surely missed after it was confirmed that the Napoli striker will miss the Africa Cup of Nations scheduled to hold from January 9 to February 6 in Cameroon.
The 22-year-old was forced off as the Parthenopeans suffered a 3-2 defeat to Inter Milan following a clash of heads with defender Milan Skriniar on Sunday.
The Italian Serie A league leaders on Tuesday announced on their website that the former Lille striker had successful surgery on his cheekbone but added that he would be unavailable for selection for the next three months.
The time frame means Osimhen will not feature for Nigeria at the AFCON in Cameroon next year.
Osimhen has been Nigeria’s first-choice striker since 2019 after the retirement of Odion Ighalo and was the country’s highest goal-scoring during the AFCON qualifiers with five goals from five matches – the same number with Zambia’s Patson Daka.
In a quote carried by Goal.com, the former Eagles captain said that Osimhen would be missed in Cameroon.
“It is shocking to hear that such an integral part of the national team is going to be missing the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
“He is a big player, but his health is more important. It is a blow for the national team.
“Osimhen is a young lad who has a lot of potentials and is still developing. “I had a chat with him recently and I reminded him of how great he could be. I wish him a speedy recovery.”
Credit: punchng.com
