The Nigerian Forward has not featured for the Yellow Submarine since the 6th of May, but ahead of their Laliga tie, Coach Unai Emery issued a statement on the player.
Unai Emery has stated that Nigeria International Samuel Chukwueze would not be part of the team that will travel to the RCDE Stadium for their La Liga clash against Espanyol.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference via Villarreal’s website, Emery said: “We’re travelling without three key players (Dani Parejo, Samu Chukwueze and Pau Torres), which is going to give opportunities to other players.”
“We need to work well, have a positive mentality and ensure that the players are prepared,” he added.
Chukwueze has been out of action due to a recurring injury since their Europa League semi-final fixture against Arsenal.
Without the 22-year-old, Villarreal have struggled to score goals this season. They played a goalless draw against Granada in their first game of the Laliga season, and they also scored one against Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup Final.
The Nigerian International is known for his pace as fantastic dribbling abilities. Youngster Yeremy Pino has tried to fill the void left by Chukwueze, but Unai Emery still sees the Nigerian as a key part of his squad.
It is left to be seen if the 2019 AFCON bronze medallist will be back in time for their crucial fixture against Atletico Madrid next week.
