Several injuries have plagued the Super Eagles as they prepare for AFCON 2023, with Victor Boniface the latest player to go down.
AFCON 2023 is just a few days away, and things are not looking good for the three-time African champions.
The Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro, had counted on their fearsome attack, which included Victor Osimhen and Victor Boniface, to deliver the desired result for the team.
With the latest development, Peseiro has had to adjust his playbook again.
U20 nations cup got injured 7 days before nations cup
Super eagles got injured 6days before Nations cup
Na Only GOD Knows why
🙏 pic.twitter.com/BMJv8p9Jqs— Victor Boniface (@boniface_jrn) January 8, 2024
Victor Boniface, who has had a phenomenal first season with Bayer Leverkusen, should be out for six weeks with a groin injury.
The niggering injury was said to have kept him out of Sunday’s test game with local club Al Gharbia and Monday’s loss to the Syli National of Guinea.
Terem Moffi to replace Victor Boniface
Following the loss of Victor Boniface for AFCON 2023, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has moved quickly to replace the player.
The latest reports suggest that the football house has earmarked Term Moffi as his replacement for the tournament.
The OGC Nice striker was a surprise omission from the squad following the release of the list, but is he good enough to take the place of Victor Boniface?
He will now hook up with the team pending the approval of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and his French Ligue 1 club.
OGC Nice striker, Terem Moffi will replace injured Victor Boniface in the Super Eagles Squad for #AFCON2023 .
Here’s is his masterclass against PSG.🤯😱🔥
👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾
pic.twitter.com/Gj7qUZzBHl— Ibukun Aluko (@IbkSports) January 9, 2024
According to CAF's regulations, a player in the final squad can only be replaced after a serious injury no less than 24 hours before the team’s first match.
Moffi is not new to the team as he was invited for every Super Eagles game except for the games against Sierra Leone and São Tomé & Príncipe last June.
Other players who will miss AFCON
Victor Boniface is just the latest addition to a growing list of injuries.
Leicester City's Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho were the first players to be knocked out by injury.
While Iheanacho has an outside chance of making the trip to Ivory Coast, Ndidi has already been replaced by Royal Antwerp midfielder Alhassan Yusuf.
It is the first time the Belgium-based midfielder will be involved with the Super Eagles.
Ndidi will be out for about three months, while the Bayer Leverkusen striker will be on the sidelines for six weeks.
Meanwhile, Victor Boniface has already bid his Super Eagles teammates goodbye and wished them the best of luck.
The Super Eagles are in Group A with the hosts Ivory Coast, Guinea Bissau and Equatorial Guinea.
They will play their first game on January 14 against Equatorial Guinea at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
