Lorient striker Terem Moffi has replaced Alex Iwobi in Nigeria’s squad for next week’s Fifa World Cup qualifying matches against Central African Republic.
On Friday, Rafael Benitez confirmed that Iwobi is battling an injury and he remains a doubt to feature in their Premier League game against Manchester United on Saturday.
Benitez’s update came a day after the 25-year-old was included in Gernot Rohr’s team for the double-header fixtures against CAR on October 7 and 10.
In September, Iwobi played in one of the Super Eagles' qualifying games at the Teslim Balogun Stadium which ended in a 2-0 win over Liberia, thanks to Kelechi Iheanacho’s brace.
“Alex has a little problem and I'm not sure if he'll be available for tomorrow,” Benitez said.
“But I'm really pleased with the way he's working and training. I think he's improving and he's enjoying that. We can improve him more because he's working so hard - he can be a much better player by the end of the season."
Moffi, who has scored two goals in eight Ligue 1 games this season, has now been summoned to take Iwobi's place in the team.
The 22-year-old saw 17 minutes of action in Nigeria's 2-1 comeback win over Cape Verde in their Group C second qualifying match.
The Lorient star made his Super Eagles debut in June during the friendly games against Cameroon in Austria.
Nigeria sit comfortably at the top of Group C with an unblemished record of six points after two games while Liberia trail in second spot with three points followed by Cape Verde and Central African Republic with a point each.
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