Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro has confirmed that forwards Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze have been ruled out of the squad that will kick off the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Zimbabwe next weekend.
The two players suffered hamstring injuries during the Eagles’ international friendlies with Saudi Arabia and Mozambique last month in Portugal.
Osimhen and Chukwueze have resumed training at Napoli and AC Milan, respectively, but Peseiro appears to have heeded calls by stakeholders in the country’s football to allow them to recover on the sidelines.
In order to prevent injuries that might keep the two from representing Nigeria at the AFCON 2023, which begins in Côte d’Ivoire in January, Peseiro told the online news outlet TV Play that he was not going to risk the pair in the matches against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
“Chukwueze and Osimhen will not be called up during the next break. We want to avoid any risks,” Peseiro told TV Play.
“I am very sorry for their injuries; the clubs pay the players, and we constantly collaborate with them,” stressed the coach, who is sad that both players have not been able to play for their respective clubs after the FIFA window.