Nigeria have been dealt a major injury blow ahead of the World Cup as Moses Simon will miss the tournament in Russia.
The 22-year-old forward has been struggling with a muscle injury in recent weeks, and Gernot Rohr, handler of the Super Eagles, confirmed to media on Sunday that the Gent man’s situation is unmanageable.
“It is unfortunate that [Moses] Simon won’t be able to make it to the World Cup because of his injury,” Rohr told media.
“The test we conducted on him showed that he would need at least three or four weeks more to recover from the injury he is having.
“It is a sad day for us but there is nothing we can do about it because we must move forward.
“He is an important member of our squad because he took an active part in the qualifiers but this injury has come at the wrong time.
“We are however confident that those remaining will be able to carry on without him.”
Simon has been a key figure for Nigeria since his international debut against Uganda in 2015, also, he played a key role in the country’s smooth qualification for the global football showpiece.
Before injury struck, he looked destined to participate in his first World Cup as Rohr’s men must negotiate their way past Argentina, Iceland and Croatia in Group D.
He becomes the first Nigeria star to be ruled out in the build-up to the tournament, while Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi continues his recovery process from his hamstring setback.
Samuel Ahmadu
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