The head coach of the Super Eagles, Jose Peseiro, has called up Paul Onuachu to replace the injured Sadiq Umar in his squad.
Umar’s knee injury is worse than first feared and the striker has been ruled out of the tournament in Ivory Coast.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have confirmed that he has withdrawn from the Africa Cup of Nations roster and Peseiro has called up Southampton loanee Paul Onuachu as his replacement.
It is understood that Sadiq suffered a knee injury during the Super Eagles friendly game against Guinea, an ailment that saw him sit out the team’s first two training sessions in Abidjan.
In September 2022, Sadiq tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a match against Getafe, causing him to miss the rest of the season.
The former AS Roma and Rangers player recovered before the start of the 2023-2024 season and has participated in 22 games, scoring two goals.
Onuachu was initially named on the provisional roster and has now been promoted to the main squad, two days before Nigeria begin their AFCON campaign against Equatorial Guinea.
The lanky striker has been in brilliant form since his loan move to Trabzonspor with nine goals and three assists in fifteen Super Lig games.
He is now set to attend his second Africa Cup of Nations after making his debut in the 2019 edition in Egypt, where he played in three games. .
