Ademola Lookman ruled out of Nigeria’s Tanzania return with knee ligament injury

Ademola Lookman will miss Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania after suffering a knee ligament sprain, Allnigeriasoccer.com has been told.

The Atletico Madrid forward is expected to withdraw from the Super Eagles squad travelling to Zanzibar City for Tuesday’s return fixture.

Lookman was injured during the closing stages of the first half of Nigeria’s 3-1 victory over the Taifa Stars at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Friday.

The 28-year-old went down without any contact, leading manager Eric Chelle to replace him with Paris FC winger Moses Simon.

A medical scan has since confirmed that Lookman sustained a sprain to a ligament in his knee. The diagnosis rules him out of Nigeria’s next meeting with Tanzania.

Lookman had been due to make his 47th appearance for Nigeria in 2026, but the injury has denied him that opportunity. He has scored 11 goals and provided 11 assists for the Super Eagles.

His most recent contribution came in the win against Tanzania in Uyo, when he supplied the pass for Alhassan Yusuf to score Nigeria’s opening goal in the second minute.

Lookman began his international career with England at youth level before switching his allegiance to Nigeria. He made his competitive debut for the Super Eagles in a 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifier against Ghana.

He was also part of England’s squad that won the 2017 Fifa U20 World Cup.