Alhassan Yusuf, a midfielder for Royal Antwerp, will now start in Wilfred Ndidi’s place for Leicester City due to an injury as the Super Eagles get ready for the Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place in Cote d’Ivoire.
Ndidi was sidelined by an undisclosed injury during Monday’s 4-1 victory over Huddersfield Town by his team, Leicester City, the dominant team in the Championship.
The team’s spokesperson, Babafemi Raji, informed the media on Wednesday that Yusuf, a 23-year-old who has been playing well for the Belgian champions, had taken Ndidi’s spot.
🔈❗️Afcon camp update: Wilfred Ndidi Out; Alhassan Yusuf In. #soarsupereagles #letsdoitagain pic.twitter.com/zFNgxOYe0T
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) January 3, 2024
Although Yusuf was included in the 40-man provisional roster for the Cup of Nations, he has not yet received a cap for Nigeria.
In order to participate in the competition, which is being hosted by Ivory Coast and begins on January 13 in Abidjan, Ndidi’s Leicester City colleague Kelechi Iheanacho stated he wants to recover from a muscular ailment.
In preparation for the competition, the three-time African champions are practicing in the United Arab Emirates.
They have been drawn in Group A alongside Ivory Coast, Guinea Bissau and Equatorial Guinea.
They face Equatorial Guinea in their opening match on January 14.
