Wilfred Ndidi has been ruled out of Nigeria’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations campaign because of an injury.
The 27-year-old midfielder for Leicester City was left out of his team’s Monday victory over Huddersfield Town despite being included in the Super Eagles’ 25-man roster on December 29.
Alhassan Yusuf, a midfielder for Royal Antwerp, has been called up to take Ndidi’s spot.
SEE: Peseiro names 25 players as Super Eagles seek fourth AFCON title in Cote d’Ivoire
Nigeria continues to hope that Kelechi Iheanacho, Ndidi’s Leicester teammate, will be allowed to join the team.
Due to a muscular ailment, forward Iheanacho, 27, has missed the Foxes’ last two Championship games.
🔈❗️Afcon camp update: Wilfred Ndidi out; Alhassan Yusuf In. #soarsupereagles #letsdoitagain pic.twitter.com/zFNgxOYe0T
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) January 3, 2024
Nigeria will play Equatorial Guinea in Group A on January 14. In addition, the West Africans will play hosts Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau in the group stage.
Meanwhile, due to a knee injury, Algeria’s forward Amine Gouiri of Rennes has pulled out of the team.
The 23-year-old, who made his Fennecs debut in October after abandoning his French national team, has not yet been replaced by a North African team.