Nigeria’s hopes of a fourth Africa Cup of Nations triumph were dealt a blow on Wednesday when influential midfielder Wilfred Ndidi was ruled out of the tournament.
The 27-year-old missed his side’s 4-1 wins against runaway title leaders Leicester City and Huddersfield Town on Monday with an unspecified injury.
Team spokesman Babafemi Raji said Ndidi was replaced by midfielder Alhassan Yusuf, who has been in good form for Belgian champions Royal Antwerp.
Yusuf has yet to qualify for Nigeria but has been named in the preliminary 40-man squad for the Cup of Nations. Ndidia’s Leicester City team-mate; Kelechi Iheanacho said he hopes to shake off muscle injuries to qualify for the tournament, which will be hosted by Ivory Coast and kicks off in Abidjan on January 13.
The three-time African champion is training in the United Arab Emirates ahead of the tournament.
They are drawn in Group A along with Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea. They face Equatorial Guinea in the opening game on January 14