By Amaechi Agbo
Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr has confirmed that captain, John Obi Mikel, will play no part in the team’s away Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Seychelles next month.
Mikel, who captained the side at the World Cup in Russia earlier this year, will not travel to the island nation from his base in China, where he plays for Tianjin TEDA and only recently returned from injury.
Nigeria coach, Gernot Rohr, confirmed that Mikel had called him to be excused from the the match due to his not being match fit after recovery from injury.
The coach said: “We spoke together. He is just coming back from injury and he needs to push his club commitments to get back in shape.
“After injury he needs time to get fit again.”
Mikel joins the long list of injury-hit players such as Tyronne Ebuehi and Shehu Abdullahi, both of who play at the right back of the Eagles’ defence line, especially at the 2018 World Cup held in Russia, where Nigeria was eliminated in the group stage.
Former captain of the Nigeria U-17 and U-20 team Musa Muhammed has been invited to replace Ebuehi and Abdullahi. Abdullahi now plays for Croatian side HNK Gorica.
Rohr will today release Super Eagles list of invited players for the 7 September fixture as the team looks to keep their qualification hopes alive for the 2019 tournament in Cameroon next June.
Nigeria lost the opening group game against South Africa last June, so a win against Seychelles, and a hope for a Bafana Bafana loss against Libya, would go a long way to seeing the Super Eagles on their way to Cameroon.
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