December 20, (THEWILL) – Following Paul Onuachu’s injury in Genk’s 1-1 tie with Royal Antwerp, Nigeria has likely lost another potential inclusion in the Super Eagles’ squad to prosecute its objective at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) scheduled for next month in Cameroon.
Onuachu, who scored his 12th league goal of the season in the match, limped out in the 71st minute with the help of Genk’s medical team after suffering a hamstring injury.
That unfortunately means the forward will most likely be sidelined for three to four weeks, which will effectively rule him out of the country’s squad for AFCON, which kicks off on January 9, 2022.
The injury to Onuachu will constitute a major setback for Nigeria and interim coach Austin Eguavoen, who took over from Gernot Rohr earlier this month.
Oghenekaro Etebo and Kingsley Michael have already been ruled out for the Super Eagles, while Napoli attacker Victor Osimhen remains a major doubt.
Should Osimhen’s injury prevent him from fully recovering, Onuachu would have been one of the players to replace him in the squad. But, with the ex-Midtjylland striker sidelined by his own injury, Eguavoen will have to look for other options.
The former Gent defender can call on Ahmed Musa, Emmanuel Dennis, and Kelechi Iheanacho as striking alternatives, who have proven themselves capable of delivering. There are other options open to Nigeria such as Union Berlin’s Taiwo Awoniyi, who has impressed this season with nine goal in 17 matches so far.
Nigeria’s AFCON campaign kicks off on January 11 with a match against Egypt, followed by matches against Sudan and Guinea-Bissau in Group D of the competition.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
