William Troost-Ekong: AFCON 2023 MVP working to be fit for Nigeria’s World Cup qualifiers vs South Africa

Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong is working his way back to full fitness as he recovers from the injury he sustained at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Soccernet.ng reports.

Troost-Ekong suffered an injury during Nigeria’s second group game at the AFCON against Cote d’Ivoire, in which he scored the Super Eagles’ winning goal.

The former Watford defender missed Nigeria’s next match against Guinea-Bissau, but he returned in the knockout rounds and featured as the Eagles reached the final.

Troost-Ekong scored in the semifinal and the final and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

However, after careful assessment and consultation with medical professionals at the end of the AFCON, it was discovered that the 29-year-old centre-back had ruptured the biceps femoris in his right leg.

Subsequently, Troost-Ekong had surgery in Finland, and he was expected to miss the rest of the season.

He has not played for his club, PAOK FC since his return from the AFCON, including missing the first leg of their Europa Conference League quarterfinal clash against Raphael Onyedika’s Club Brugge.

Club Brugge claimed a narrow 1-0 win in that encounter, but PAOK are looking to overturn that deficit and make it to the semifinals.

However, while PAOK have confirmed that Troost-Ekong is not in the squad for the second leg of the tie, the Greek club side provided an update on the Nigeria international’s rehabilitation.

The Super Eagles defender did not participate in team training; rather, he did some physiotherapy and spent time in the gym.

Despite his injury setback, Troost-Emong is still not ruled out of Nigeria’s crucial World Cup qualifiers in June.

The Super Eagles face South Africa and the Benin Republic in the first week of that month, with a defeat in any of those games likely to derail qualification hopes.