Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle has placed a replacement on standby for striker Victor Osimhen ahead of the Super Eagles' opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers later this month.
Chelle is monitoring the fitness of Osimhen, who limped off during Galatasaray's 3-2 win over Istanbul Basaksehir on Friday, September 4. The forward opened the scoring in the 16th minute before being forced off 17 minutes later with a suspected muscle injury and was replaced by Baris Alper Yilmaz.
Scans later showed a moderate-to-advanced right adductor strain with bleeding, raising fresh concern for the coaching staff. Osimhen has not ruled himself out entirely, but several reports indicate he is expected to miss the September international window.
According to OwnGoalNigeria.com, Chelle has already made contact with a replacement to be on standby. Coventry City forward Taiwo Awoniyi is the player identified by the coach. The move comes as Nigeria prepare to begin their qualifying campaign, with fixtures against Madagascar on September 25 and Guinea-Bissau four days later.
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