Chukwueze's injury will take longer than expected: How long is he expected to be out for? | OneFootball

The Super Eagles star will miss both club and national team matches.

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A cloud of concern hangs over the Nigerian national team as a key attacker's fitness crisis deepens, threatening his availability for a decisive World Cup qualifier next month. Super Eagles manager Eric Chelle faces an agonizing wait over the condition of Samuel Chukwueze, with the latest updates from his club, Fulham, painting a grim picture.

The winger's troubles began on October 14th during Nigeria's clash with Benin, where he sustained a calf injury. The initial worry has since escalated into serious alarm, with medical scans revealing the damage is "worse than initially feared." This setback has already forced him to miss Fulham's recent match against Arsenal, and his absence is set to continue.

The situation was formally addressed by Fulham manager Marco Silva, who delivered a sobering update during a press conference. "Some good news or fresh news, and some others not so good, unfortunately for us," Silva stated, before confirming the Nigerian international remains among the sidelined. Providing a list of absentees, he noted, "Joachim Andersen, as we expected and as I mentioned after the match, has a muscle injury... and all the others still the same. Chukwueze is still out, Rodrigo out."

When probed on a potential timeline for return, the manager's words offered little hope for a swift recovery, casting further doubt on Chukwueze's readiness for the upcoming international window. "No, difficult. I believe that Rodrigo is going to be closer than Chukwueze right now."

As the crucial playoff against Gabon looms, Chelle and the entire Super Eagles camp will be holding their breath, hoping for a miraculous turnaround in the 2015 U17 World Cup winner's recovery.