Hull City have been dealt a significant setback in their promotion push after it was confirmed that defender Semi Ajayi will spend several weeks on the sidelines, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Nigeria international centre-back will be unavailable for club and country because of the injury he picked up at the Africa Cup of Nations, as per Hull Daily Mail.
Ajayi was forced off in stoppage time of Nigeria’s third-place play-off victory over Egypt at the weekend, and scans have since revealed hamstring damage that is expected to keep him out for up to two months.
The news comes as a fresh blow to Hull, who have endured a season repeatedly disrupted by injuries to key players. Semi Ajayi had only just completed a demanding international campaign and was due to return to club duty. Instead, he now faces another long spell of rehabilitation, extending his time away from the MKM Stadium to almost three months in total.
The 32-year-old, who joined the Tigers on a free transfer last summer after leaving West Bromwich Albion, has quickly become one of the club’s most trusted defensive options. His absence will further stretch a squad that has already been forced into constant reshuffling by fitness problems across the pitch.
Ajayi was injured in added time against Egypt and had to be replaced by Chidozie Awaziem, bringing a premature end to what had been a highly impressive tournament for the Nigeria defender. While the Super Eagles were able to see out the match and secure third place, Hull were left anxiously awaiting the outcome of medical checks on one of their most important players.
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Semi Ajayi's AFCON heroics turn into club frustration
Ajayi enjoyed a brilliant tournament in Morocco which kicked off when he scored Nigeria’s first goal in the 2-1 win over Tanzania and claimed the Man-of-the-Match award.
He would go on to feature in six of the team’s seven matches, forming a formidable central defensive partnership with Fulham’s Calvin Bassey.
Together, they provided the platform for a run that saw Nigeria keep clean sheets in the round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and third-place play-off against Mozambique, Algeria, Morocco and Egypt respectively.
Those performances did not go unnoticed back in England. Hull head coach Sergej Jakirovic had followed Ajayi’s progress closely and spoke glowingly about his influence during the latter stages of the competition.
Before Nigeria’s semi-final against hosts Morocco, he told Hull Live:
“It’s a big thing for us, for him, for the club, and I hope he will win the tournament now he is in the semi-final. I hope he will go until the end because he's playing well.
“I have watched every game, and they have a very, very good, almost fantastic team for me, Nigeria, so they are very good, and I hope he will come back healthy.”
That final hope has now been dashed. Instead of returning reinvigorated for the crucial final stretch of the season, Ajayi will continue his recovery on the sidelines, leaving Hull to cope without one of their most experienced defenders.
The timing is particularly cruel for Jakirovic, who had already been managing absences elsewhere in the squad and was counting on Ajayi’s return to stabilise his back line.
With the defender now facing around seven more weeks out, Hull must once again adapt and find solutions from within as they try to keep their promotion ambitions on track despite yet another costly injury setback.
