The Galatasaray striker was initially named in Eric Chelle’s squad. However, his failure to recover on time from a muscle strain has ruled him out of the fixtures.
Osimhen’s absence from his club’s 4-0 defeat to Mohamed Salah’s Trabzonspor on Saturday confirmed that his recovery had not progressed as expected.
“Victor Osimhen’s recovery from a muscle strain has taken longer than expected. He was named in Nigeria’s AFCON qualifier squad after Galatasaray and the Super Eagles technical crew hoped he would be fit for the Super Lig clash with Trabzonspor and ready for the international window,” a statement from Super Eagles media read.
“His absence from (Saturday’s) match confirms Galatasaray’s message to Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle: the striker is still recovering and will not be available for Nigeria’s fixtures.”
The former Napoli star sustained the injury during Galatasaray’s 3-2 victory over Istanbul Basaksehir on September 4th, where he found the net before he was subbed off injured in the 33rd minute.
Medical examinations revealed a strain in his right adductor muscle group, with the Turkish club reporting a moderate-to-advanced injury involving bleeding and muscle strain.
Osimhen had enjoyed an impressive start to the season, scoring six goals and providing two assists in his first four league appearances for the reigning Turkish Super Lig champions.
In his absence, coach Chelle will be banking on Akor Adams, Tolu Arokodare and newcomer George Ilenikhena for goals.
The three-time African champions will host Madagascar’s Barea at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, on Friday, September 25th, before travelling to face Guinea-Bissau’s Wild Dogs on Tuesday, September 29th.
Nigeria will be aiming to secure maximum points from both matches as they seek early qualification for the competition to be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
