Chukwueze’s Calf Injury Worries Chelle and Fulham Ahead of Key Fixtures
Super Eagles manager Eric Chelle is facing a potential selection headache ahead of next month’s vital World Cup qualifying playoff against Gabon. The concern centers on Fulham winger Samuel Chukwueze, who is still sidelined with a calf injury sustained while on international duty on October 14 during Nigeria’s qualifier against Benin’s Cheetahs.
The injury forced the AC Milan loanee to miss Fulham’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal last weekend. Unfortunately for both the club and the national team, scans have indicated the injury is “worse than initially feared.”
Fulham boss Marco Silva confirmed on Thursday that Chukwueze will not travel with the squad for the upcoming match against Newcastle United. During his pre-match press conference, Silva gave an update on the injury situation, revealing mixed news for the squad.
“Some good news or fresh news, and some others not so good, unfortunately for us,” Silva stated. While some players are returning, others remain unavailable.
Giving a breakdown of the absentees, Silva confirmed the extent of the problem for the Nigerian star. “Joachim Andersen, as we expected and as I mentioned after the match, has a muscle injury... and all the others still the same. Chukwueze is still out, Rodrigo out.”
When pressed for potential return dates, Silva indicated that Chukwueze is unlikely to be back on the pitch soon. “No, difficult. I believe that Rodrigo is going to be closer than Chukwueze right now.”
Chelle will be keenly monitoring the 2015 Fifa U17 World Cup winner’s recovery before announcing his squad for the crucial playoff match.
Enobong Ernest
Dailysports's expert
