AFCON: Onuachu joins Eagles squad as Umar becomes third player to get injured

Paul Onuachu has been drafted as the replacement for Sadiq Umar in the Super Eagles squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

According to a post on the team’s official X account on Friday, Umar pulled out of the squad due to injury.

There were reports that the Real Sociedad striker did not participate in the team’s second training in Ivory Coast on Thursday.

Umar is said to have suffered a knee injury and will be returning to Spain for treatment and to get a potential recuperation timeline for his setback.

Onuachu is a natural replacement for Umar. He is similarly lanky and languid. The 29-year-old is also in blistering form for Trabzonspor FC in the Turkish Super League.

He scored his ninth goal of the season with a powerful header against Samsunspor on Thursday evening.

However, Onuachu’s participation in AFCON is subject to the approval of his club and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Umar is the third player to pull due to injury from the 25-player team named by Jose Peseiro, Super Eagles head coach, for the competition.

On January 3, On January 3, Alhassan Yusuf was named as a replacement for injured Wilfred Ndidi. Six days later, Victor Boniface suffered a groin injury and was replaced on the team by Terem Moffi.

The Eagles are in Group A alongside Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.

Nigeria will take on Equatorial Guinea in their opening game on January 14 before facing Ivory Coast four days later and rounding off the group stage with the Guinea-Bissau tie.