Emery rules Chukwueze out of Man Utd clash but there’ll be a Nigerian presence in Villarreal squad

The former Golden Eaglets star hasn’t played for the Yellow Submarines since May, and he’s unlikely to make his return anytime soon

Super Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze has been ruled out of Villarreal’s Champions League clash against Manchester United on Wednesday night.

Chukwueze has not played for the Yellow Submarines since he walked off midway through the first half of the Europa League second-leg clash against Arsenal last May.

The Nigerian picked up a thigh injury, which required surgery, and has not played since then. Although Chukwueze is back training with his teammates, he won’t feature against United tomorrow as he’s yet to regain full fitness.

Villarreal coach revealed in his press conference that the team would be missing the players that missed the 0-0 draw against Real Madrid on Saturday.

“We also have (Francis) Coquelin, who is out for suspension, but it is the same as the other day,” Emery said in his pre-match press conference, per football Espana. 

“We have different alternatives, and we have to trust the options we have,” he added.

However, Villarreal will still have a Nigerian presence in their squad when they take on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

The Spanish side signed Nigerian-born Dutch player Arnaut Danjuma from Bournemouth this summer.

Danjuma is already off the mark in the Champions League after scoring in the 2-2 draw against Atalanta.

He has also scored two goals in five La Liga games this season and will hope to continue in the same vein against United on Wednesday.

Although he has played for the Netherlands twice, Danjuma is still eligible to play for Nigeria.