AFCON 2023: Big injury blow for Super Eagles as Real Sociedad’s Sadiq Umar is set to miss tournament

Sadiq Umar was a part of the Nigerian team that won the Olympic Bronze medal hosted in Rio De Janeiro in 2016, a team captained by Mikel Obi.

Super Eagles and Real Sociedad centre forward, Sadiq Umar, has been ruled out of participation in the AFCON 2023 tournament after picking up an injury, Soccernet.ng reports.

Umar, 26, was included in Jose Peseiro’s final 25-man squadlist, and was enlisted along other strikers like Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, and Kelechi Iheanacho.

The former Almeria man was involved in the two friendly games the Super Eagles played in preparation for the AFCON tournament, although he was taken off in the first half of the game against Guinea, in what looked like a precautionary measure by Jose Peseiro’s medical crew.

However, since that game, the 6ft.4in tall striker has not been able to take part in the team training, and was waved aside so as to undergo further checks, with parts of his right knee strapped with a bandage.

After further checks, it was confirmed that the Real Sociedad man has suffered a knee injury and will be out of action for nothing less than three weeks.

#Nigeria have suffered another injury blow ahead of #AFCON2023 as striker Sadiq Umar has now also pulled out of the tournament, @SammAudusoka reports.

Suffered a knee injury and he will be out of action for at least 3 weeks.

Flying to Spain to be attended to by his club medics. pic.twitter.com/Cyt7xTQXE0

— Oluwashina Okeleji (@oluwashina) January 11, 2024

This comes as a big blow to the Super Eagles and the Nigerian football populace at large. Two days ago, Victor Boniface was ruled out the tournament with an adductor injury, and had to be replaced by Terem Moffi.

Sadiq’s injury leaves Victor Osimhen as the only fit striker Nigeria can rely on to score goals at the moment, as Terem Moffi and Kelechi Iheanacho are yet to join up with the team, with the latter still just getting back to full fitness as well.

It is yet to be known if the coaching crew will choose to replace Sadiq with someone else.