Professor Gianpaolo Tartaro has insisted that the Super Eagles and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen will not be fit to represent Nigeria at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations next month. He added that only a miracle would see the striker feature in Cameroon.
Super Eagles and Napoli Striker Victor Osimhen have tested positive for coronavirus.
His club made this known on Thursday – 10 days to the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
The latest medical update will come as a huge blow for Nigeria and the striker who is determined to represent the three-time champions at the AFCON.
Osimhen had been initially ruled out of the biggest African football showpiece, scheduled for January 9 to February 6, 2022, in Cameroon, after he suffered multiple fractures in his face following a clash with Inter defender Milan Skriniar on November 21, and had titanium implants placed in his cheekbone and eye socket.
The club said, “Napoli has announced that Victor Osimhen has tested positive for COVID-19 but is asymptomatic. Dr. Tartaro was due to perform a check-up on the player tomorrow.
“Consequently, the local authorities have ordered that Osimhen self-isolate and the check-up will be rescheduled after he has tested negative and his period of isolation ends.”
Nigeria had selected Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, who is still recovering from a serious injury, as part of its 28-man squad for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
Osimhen looked certain to miss the tournament, which is scheduled to kick off in Cameroon on January 9, after initially being ruled out for three months following surgery on face fractures suffered against Inter Milan in late November.
The former Lille player resumed individual training a few weeks after his surgery and was included in Nigeria’s 28-man AFCON squad list by the Super Eagles interim boss Austin Eguavoen.
Tartaro, the surgeon who operated on Osimhen in November, told Corriere Dello Sport that the player needed more time to heal.
“For the formation of the callus bone, according to world protocols, it takes from sixty to ninety days. Unless a biological miracle,” the surgeon was quoted as saying.
The 22-year-old striker had already declared himself fit to travel to Cameroon but his Italian club want him to stay away.
