Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho face uncertainty about their participation in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as they picked up injuries just days before the competition.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria are set to begin their AFCON campaign against Equatorial Guinea on January 15, 2024, with subsequent matches against hosts Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau.
Although both players were absent in Leicester’s recent 4-1 victory against Huddersfield Town, manager Enzo Maresca confirmed that they had been released to join the national team. However, their injuries cast doubt on their availability for the AFCON tournament.
Maresca stated, “Kelechi [Iheanacho] and Wilfred [Ndidi] are both currently injured, but they are going to go with the international team. We will see if Nigeria want to include them or send them back as I said, they both have an injury at the moment. Patson [Daka] and Harry [Souttar] are already with their international teams.”
The Super Eagles camp has opened in Abu Dhabi, UAE, as the Nigerian team prepares for the challenging Group A matches against Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, and Equatorial Guinea.