Victor Osimhen is making progress after his surgery and is in line to recover in time for the African Cup of Nations.
The striker has already had his stitches removed and may return to training with a protective mask.
The teams with expectations of winning the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon next year are crossing their I’s and dotting their t’s. The African football fiesta is almost upon us, with about five weeks to go before the tournament commences.
In Nigeria, very little is sure, as the Nigeria Football Federation remains in turmoil over the future of the Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr. The furore over the German's future continues, as his position as the national team manager remains up in the air. With Johannes Bonfrere scheming for the Super Eagles job, Amaju Pinnick and the Nigeria Football Federation have to find a way to avoid a disaster in Cameroon.
Following the tepid performance of the Super Eagles in the World Cup qualifiers, the injury to Victor Osimhen is a massive dampener to the team, with the Napoli striker the surest chance of goals at the tournament.
Victor Osimhen had surgery that should leave him on the sidelines for a lengthy period. It means that the striker is likely to miss AFCON.
Osimhen in a race against time
Victor Osimhen is one striker that can make a difference for the Super Eagles in Cameroon. The former under-17 World Cup winner saw his chances of making the Nigerian team to Cameroon dampen following an injury.
The 22-year-old was involved in a clash that resulted in an injury to his cheekbone. Osimhen suffered the injury in a Serie A clash against challengers for the league title Inter Milan at the San Siro. The injury happened after a collision with Inter defender Milan Skriniar.
The result of the injury suggested a lengthy period on the sidelines. Prognosis following a successful but complicated surgery stated that Osimhen could miss up to three months of football. The news came as a blow to Napoli and the Super Eagles. Napoli and the Super Eagles are chasing the Italian Scudetto and the African Cup of Nations trophy.
There is, however, hope for Osimhen to make it for AFCON.
Hope for Osimhen
There may be hope for Victor Osimhen to be part of the Nigerian party to AFCON next year. Initially set to miss the tournament, reports by La Gazzetta, as per Tutto Napoli, suggests that the Napoli striker could be back to action earlier than scheduled.
Victor Osimhen will return to training next week, Napoli doctor Raffaele Canonico confirms.
“From next week he will be back on the field and we will do some new tests". pic.twitter.com/T9lArac1EE
— Soar Super Eagles (@SSE_NGA) December 3, 2021
After a successful surgery, the striker is making good progress with his stitches already removed and is ready to undergo another X-ray on Tuesday to determine how far along he has gone. If the result returns positive, the go-ahead could come for Osimhen to return to training, but with a protective mask.
It means that Osimhen could be part of the Super Eagles entourage to Cameroon for the Nations Cup. The tournament kicks off on the 9th of January. The Super Eagles will begin their campaign with a tie against multiple AFCON winners, the Pharaohs of Egypt, on the 11th of January.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 years ago
