Izuchukwu OkosiDespite his return to training after a frightening orbital and cheekbone injury Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen could join the Super Eagles camp for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations quite late.
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This is because his Serie A club Napoli have a top-of-the-table clash against Juventus on January 6 barely three days to the start of the Afcon and five days before Nigeria’s first Group D match against Egypt.
Osimhen picked up the injury in Napoli’s league game against Inter Milan on November 21 after a clash of heads with Milan Skriniar and initial prognosis suggesting that he could be out of action for three months.
European clubs under the auspices of the European Club Association are reluctant to release their players for the tournament with pressure reportedly mounted on the Federation of International Football Federation (FIFA) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to cancel the tournament.
Osimhen is an important player for the Naples side and is expected to wear a protective mask upon his return to action.
Nigeria will also face Sudan and Guinea-Bissau in the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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