Nigeria’s preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers have been thrown into further uncertainty following the injury setback suffered by Paul Onuachu, coming just as Victor Osimhen is already facing a spell on the sidelines.
The timing could hardly be worse for Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle, with Nigeria set to begin their AFCON qualifying campaign this month and a growing number of key players now dealing with injuries.
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Onuachu was forced off in the 44th minute of Trabzonspor’s emphatic 5-0 victory over Gençlerbirliği in the Turkish Süper Lig on Sunday, shortly after producing one of his best attacking displays of the season.
The 32-year-old striker scored twice inside the opening 22 minutes to help Trabzonspor take control of the contest and finally ended a frustrating 10-game goal drought.
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Onuachu could even have completed his hat-trick in the first half, but he allowed Mohamed Salah to take the penalty Trabzonspor won in the 12th minute, with the Egyptian converting confidently.
His evening, however, ended prematurely when he was substituted in the 44th minute after appearing to suffer a muscle injury.
Trabzonspor eventually completed the rout through further goals from Ernest Muçi and Onuachu’s replacement, Franculino Djú, but the victory came at a cost for the Nigerian forward.
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The Turkish club are yet to confirm the extent of Onuachu’s injury or provide a recovery timeline, although he is expected to undergo further assessment and could spend a few weeks on the sidelines.
His injury comes at a particularly difficult moment, with Trabzonspor having recently signed Franculino Djú from Midtjylland.
The Portuguese forward is expected to compete directly with Onuachu for a starting position, meaning his latest setback could provide Djú with an opportunity to establish himself in the first team.
If Franculino takes that opportunity and produces consistently, Onuachu could face an even tougher battle to regain his starting place once he returns to full fitness.
For Trabzonspor, there is enough attacking cover to cope with his absence, at least until the next international break.
For Nigeria, however, the situation is far more concerning.
Osimhen had already been ruled out for around three weeks after Galatasaray confirmed that the 27-year-old suffered a muscle strain.
That leaves Chelle facing the possibility of entering the September international window without two of his experienced attacking options.
And while Osimhen’s absence is clearly the bigger concern, Onuachu could also have provided a different dimension to the Super Eagles attack if selected.
The former Southampton and Genk striker has not necessarily established himself as the automatic replacement for Osimhen, particularly after his difficult start to the season.
However, his two-goal performance against Gençlerbirliği came at a time when Nigeria would have welcomed any indication that he was rediscovering his scoring touch.
That resurgence could now be interrupted by injury. Chelle is already dealing with a growing injury list, with Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Sadiq Umar, Tochukwu Nnadi and Zaidu Sanusi also recently picking up knocks.
The good news for the Super Eagles coach is that there are alternatives in attack.
Cyriel Dessers, Tolu Arokodare, Kelechi Iheanacho and Rafiu Durosinmi have all started the season strongly, giving Chelle several options to consider if Osimhen and Onuachu are unavailable.
Still, losing Osimhen would remove Nigeria’s most potent attacking threat, while Onuachu’s absence would further reduce the depth and variety available to the coach.
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The Osimhen situation is particularly important with Nigeria’s 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign scheduled to begin against Madagascar on 25 September, before the Super Eagles travel to face Guinea-Bissau four days later.
Nigeria are in Group L alongside Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and co-hosts Tanzania, with only the highest-ranked team apart from automatically qualified Tanzania advancing from the group.
That makes every point particularly important and leaves little room for Nigeria to stumble at the start of the campaign.
For Chelle meanwhile, the priority will be getting his attacking options back to full fitness as quickly as possible.
With the AFCON qualifiers fast approaching, the Super Eagles can ill afford to lose both Osimhen and Onuachu at the same time.
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