No fewer than six Super Eagles players are sidelined with injuries at a point in the season when their clubs are settling into new campaigns, handing rivals for their places a head start just as rotations and pecking orders are being decided, with the timing arguably a bigger concern for some of them at club level and for the national team ahead of the September international window, PETER AKINBO writes
Christantus Uche
Getafe midfielder, Christantus Uche, has undergone successful surgery after suffering a serious knee injury in a pre-season friendly on August 6, when a reckless tackle by Monaco’s Christian Mawissa, with his studs showing, left him with multiple tears to the ligaments and meniscus in his right knee. Medical staff had to stretcher him off the pitch.
The injury has ruled him out for the rest of the season, denying him the chance to rebuild his standing at Getafe after a difficult loan spell at Crystal Palace last term, where he made only 22 appearances and 477 minutes of Premier League football before the English club opted against making the move permanent.
The 23-year-old also misses the Super Eagles’ qualifying double-header and, most likely, the tournament finals. Sharing a photo of himself after the operation, Uche thanked his surgeon and everyone at Getafe for standing by him through the ordeal, adding that he trusts the process of recovery ahead.
