Sadiq Umar injury rules Nigeria striker out of September AFCON qualifiers

Nigeria striker Sadiq Umar is expected to miss the Super Eagles’ September qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations after suffering a suspected hamstring injury while playing for Valencia.

The 29-year-old started Valencia’s match against newly promoted Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday and scored his side’s only goal in a 3-1 defeat. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was also on the scoresheet for Deportivo, who were unfortunate to concede two own goals during the game.

Sadiq completed the full 90 minutes but reported back for training on Monday morning limping. According to Analytica Fantasy, the forward appears to have sustained a hamstring problem that could keep him out for up to two months.

If that assessment is correct, Sadiq may not return to competitive action until late October or early November. That would rule him out of Nigeria’s September fixtures as coach Eric Chelle begins preparations for the next stage of qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

The injury is a setback for Valencia, where Sadiq is regarded as a useful member of Carlos Corberan’s squad and a player capable of making an impact in difficult matches. With the forward unavailable, Corberan is expected to place greater responsibility on Arnaut Danjuma and Hugo Duro.

For Nigeria, however, Sadiq’s absence is unlikely to cause major disruption. He has not been a regular starter under Chelle, who has a wide range of attacking options to consider before the September qualifiers.

Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen remains a mainstay of the Super Eagles set-up. Chelle generally prefers to operate with two strikers, making Akor Adams the usual candidate to partner Osimhen. Adams could still be selected despite failing to score in Venezia’s opening two fixtures of the campaign.

Several other forwards have also made strong starts at club level. Tolu Arokodare, Cyriel Dessers and Rafiu Durosinmi have all been in good form since the beginning of the season, leaving Chelle with more contenders than places in his squad.

That competition is likely to create a difficult selection decision for the Nigeria coach, particularly as he weighs whether to retain his preferred partnership or make changes for the forthcoming qualifiers.

There may also be adjustments in midfield. Wilfred Ndidi has been reduced to a substitute role at Besiktas, while Raphael Onyedika has produced consistent performances for Eintracht Frankfurt.

Onyedika’s form could give Chelle reason to consider altering his starting XI, adding another selection question to the attacking dilemma created by the number of Nigeria forwards performing well for their clubs.