SAN FRANCISCO, October 04, (THEWILL) – Nigerian Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has been granted an excuse from the invited list of players for Nigeria’s friendly against Algeria. The in-form striker was included with others for the clash with the Northern African country but THEWILL has learnt that his place will now be taken up by Paul Onuachu who plies his trade in the Belgian Football League with Genk.
THEWILL believes that this excuse cannot be unrelated to the incidence of COVID-19 in the Napoli camp. Two of their players, the Polish Piotr Zielinski and Eljif Elmas from Macedonia tested positive for the coronavirus after they were tested following their six nil demolition of Genoa the previous weekend. Adhering to club protocols, all players fielded and those who were in direct contact with both of them are mandated to self-isolate for a minimum period of 14 days. This timeframe implies that Osimhen cannot feature for the Super Eagles in the game against Algeria nor the one that follows against Tunisia.
His replacement is another striker in just as good a form as Osimhen. The Genk forward has been in scintillating form recently firing off five goals in three games to set the season off on a very high note. His sense of positioning and the length and presence of the man has meant that there were almost always two centre backs man-marking him. Yet, he has scored in all four matches in the Belgian top flight.
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THEWILL hopes this form will carry through into the friendlies with his inclusion in the team by Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr. If he proves himself, he will have guaranteed his direct invitations to future matches for the Super Eagles.
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.
