2023 AFCON: Iheanacho, Moffi expected on Saturday, Umar out

Super Eagles forwards Kelechi Iheanacho and Terem Moffi are expected to join the rest of the squad ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, in Cote d’Ivoire on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

It was reports that Iheanacho would arrive a day before Nigeria’s first match against Equatorial Guinea, even as Real Sociedad forward Sadiq Umar has been ruled out of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Moffi, who was a last-minute replacement for Victor Boniface, is expected to join the squad on Sunday.

The AFCON, which kicks off on Saturday with a game between Nigeria’s Group A foes – hosts Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau – will be held till Feb. 11.

Super Eagles Media officer, Babafemi Raji, said both players were not part of the team’s second training session in Abidjan on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Umar, who is in Abidjan, did not train with the rest of the squad on Thursday, as he jogged alone on the sidelines while Peseiro and his crew worked with the remaining 22 of the final 25 men.

This was after the Real Sociedad striker suffered a knee injury in the aftermath of their warm-up friendly with Guinea in Abu Dhabi, and will now be out of action for at least three weeks.

Leicester midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi, was the first to be ruled out and was replaced by Antwerp’s Alhassan Yusuf, while red-hot Bayer Leverkusen man, Victor Boniface, also picked up a groin injury before the end of the team’s one-week training camp in Abu Dhabi.