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By Joe Apu
Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle has confirmed that key forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman will miss the Super Eagles’ upcoming international friendly matches against Poland and Portugal.
Chelle disclosed this on Saturday night in London following Nigeria’s participation in the Unity Cup, revealing that the team will also be affected by visa-related issues involving some players.
The Malian tactician explained that Osimhen and Lookman would be unavailable for personal and fitness reasons respectively.
“Against Poland and Portugal, I have lots of problems because some of the players have issues with visas and, importantly, we will miss two players in Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman,” Chelle said.
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According to the coach, Osimhen has been granted time off to attend to family matters and his club future.
“Concerning Victor Osimhen, he is an important player for Nigeria and Galatasary. This period is off-season when a lot of things happen off-the-pitch and we must respect certain decisions that are not in our hands. Ademola Lookman won’t be available for personal reasons; Femi Azeez had a decent outing at the Unity Cup, but his club will not release him for the remaining matches. Alhassan Yusuf and Tijani Samson do not have entry visas and Ebenezer Akinsanmiro is not feeling feel. The upcoming matches are friendlies and I will approach every game with seriousness with the players available.
“We will work with the 18 players available and see how it goes. You can be rest assured we will fight and give our best against the two teams,” he said.
The absence of Osimhen and Lookman will be a significant blow to the Super Eagles, with the duo having been among Nigeria’s most influential attacking players in recent years. However, the friendlies are expected to provide Chelle with an opportunity to assess other members of his squad ahead of future competitive engagements.
