Osimhen offers Nigeria timely boost for AFCON

Victor Osimhen has offered Nigeria a timely fitness boost, with the Napoli striker declaring himself fit for the 2021 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

The 22-year-old striker suffered facial injuries in his Italian side’s 3-2 defeat at Inter in November and was later announced by Napoli that he would be out of action for at least three months after he subsequently underwent successful surgery.

The extent of his spell on the sidelines had initially meant that he would play no part in the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations campaign for the three-time African champions.

However, the former Lille star offered a massive boost to Nigeria when he confirmed his return to full training with his Italian side in November.

“Thankful to God. I sincerely appreciate those who reached out to me, God bless you and yours. No time to dwell on past transgressions, looking forward to the greater things ahead. God is the greatest, we move!” Osimhen tweeted.

This time, he has swiftly sought to dispel any uncertainties about his availiability for Nigeria selection, with the showpiece set to kick off in 19 days’ time.

“I will be available for AFCON unless if am not among the players picked to represent Nigeria,” Osimhen announced on his official twitter account on Tuesday.

Osimhen star played a crucial role in Nigeria’s progression to the Third Round of the African qualifiers of the FIFA World Cup, Qatar 2022 and has scored nine goals in his last 10 matches for the Super Eagles.

This is a cheering news for Augustine Eguavoen as Nigeria sweat over the availability of the forward, with the announcement of the final 28-man squad in the coming days.

Nigeria begins their TotalEnergies AFCON Group D campaign against seven-time champions Egypt on January 11 in Garoua before taking on Sudan four days later and Guinea-Bissau on January 19.