Sadiq called up to Sociedad squad after leaving Nigeria training camp

Real Sociedad have called up Umar Sadiq for their cup and league game. The striker was called up to the Nigeria squad for the AFCON and attended the national team's training camp as normal, but on Friday he injured his knee during a training session. The team's medical staff decided it would be best to replace him and for him to return to San Sebastian.

Four days later, the 'Txuri-urdines' made public their call-up list for the match against Osasuna in the Spanish knockout tournament and, to everyone's surprise, the striker appeared on the list. The medical staff at Anoeta examined his ailment and realised that it was no big problem. He himself has been tested in a number of exercises that have allowed him to know that he is available to take the field.

As a result, he would not have been able to play in the first matchday of the international championship against Equatorial Guinea, but he would have been able to play in the second matchday against Ivory Coast on Thursday. Imanol Alguacil, the coach of his club, explained the matter in his press conference prior to the match against the Pamplona side: "He wanted to stay with Nigeria, but they had doubts about how his recovery would go; that's why he came back. He tried out on Monday and had a good feeling. He is ready to play".

Thus, Nigeria are without one of their most important players due to a diagnostic error when they have two very important games ahead of them to qualify for the knockout stages, the one mentioned in the previous paragraph and the one against Guinea-Bissau. With their first meeting in the competition having ended in a draw, a win is urgently needed to move the group, led by Victor Osimhen, closer to the Round of 16.

 

January 16, 2024