Osimhen worry for Nigeria ahead of AFCON as Napoli reveal the extent of his injury

The 22-year-old walked off ten minutes into the second half of the Neapolitans Serie A clash against the Nerazzurri due to an injury

Napoli have confirmed that Osimhen fractured his orbit and cheekbone in their Italian Serie A match against Inter Milan on Sunday evening.

Osimhen walked off ten minutes into the second half of the encounter at the San Siro Stadium following a clash of heads with Milan Škriniar.

The two clashed inside Inter’s penalty box as they tried to compete with a cross from Hirving Lozano. Both players needed treatment after the clash, but it was Osimhen that came out worse.

The Super Eagles star walked off with a swollen black eye and cheekbone. Napoli have now confirmed that tests following the match showed that Osimhen did fracture his orbit and cheekbone.

The Parthenopeans revealed in a statement on their website that Osimhen will have to undergo surgery, which will happen in a few days.

Napoli’s statement read: The instrumental tests carried out on Victor Osimhen at the end of the Inter-Napoli match revealed multiple displaced fractures of the orbit and of the left cheekbone.

The player will undergo surgery in the next few days and will remain under observation at the Niguarda Hospital in Milan tonight.

The news is a blow for Nigeria ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, which begins on January 9th, 2022. Osimhen is Nigeria’s leading star, but his latest injury could see him miss the competition.

Although it is not clear yet when he is likely to return, a cheekbone and orbit surgery take a combined nine weeks to heal, according to reports. 

Joba Ogunwale

Oluwajoba Ogunwale has many years of experience as a sports content writer. The most recent of these was at Opera News, after which he took up the role of Editor-in-Chief at Soccernet.

View Comments

  • Osihmen need serius prayer to survive in that club, an agressive striker always having one problem or the other might put his career in danger. He really really need to take things easy because no one would love to buy an injury prone striker even if he is as good as C. Ronaldo.

  • Not even when some of his teammates loves him, they would be happy seeing him being sideline due to injury, I pray for his quick recovery.

  • He should go home!
    They know what to do to stop all these current woes he his passing through!

    He has been so unlucky of recent!
    He should go home or call his ppl at home!

Share
Published by
Joba Ogunwale

Recent Posts

Chrisantus Uche gifts young fan his shirt after racial abuse outcry in Getafe-Barcelona draw

Nigerian midfielder Chrisantus Uche turned a challenging period into an inspiring moment after Getafe’s 1-1… Read More

3 hours ago

Euro Leagues update: Rasheedat Ajibade shines for Atletico Madrid, Lookman’s excellent strike insufficient for Atalanta

Super Falcons star Rasheedat Ajibade scored for Atletico Madrid in their 1-1 draw against Levante… Read More

8 hours ago

Serie A giants Juventus join race for Super Eagles star with two goals for Nigeria

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, the Super Eagles midfielder dazzling in Serie A with Lazio, has become a… Read More

21 hours ago

Samuel Chukwueze: Super Eagles star set to return to training at AC Milan after hamstring injury

Super Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze is set to return to training at AC Milan next… Read More

21 hours ago

AFCON 2025: Nigeria’s Osimhen, Gabon’s Aubameyang make bold predictions for MVP award

Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen and Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have shared their predictions for the… Read More

22 hours ago

Nottingham Forest head coach denies Awoniyi exit talks, backs Super Eagles striker to hit top form

Nottingham Forest head coach, Nuno Espirito Santo, has shunned exit talks concerning Super Eagles striker,… Read More

23 hours ago