Sadiq Umar was ruled out of the AFCON due to an injury, but he was pictured training at Real Sociedad just days later.
Super Eagles striker Sadiq Umar has cleared the air on the controversy surrounding the injury that ruled him out of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Sadiq made Jose Peseiro’s 25-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations and he was one of the stars expected to light up the tournament in Ivory Coast. Just before the AFCON, the 26-year-old was in brilliant form, scoring two bangers at his club side.
Unfortunately, Sadiq was ruled out of the competition just days before the tournament because of a knee injury.
According to news from the Super Eagles camp, he was supposed to be out for at least three weeks. Eventually, Peseiro called up Trabzonspor star Paul Onuachu to take his place. However, in a related development, Real Sociedad shared a video of Sadiq training at the club’s facility. With the intensity of his runs, it was clear that the former Almeria man was in good shape.
This sparked a serious controversy amongst Nigerian fans, the NFF and Peseiro, especially after the coach stated that he only followed what the Super Eagles medical team told him.
Sadiq has now come out to clarify the issue. He has stated that he never faked his injury, rather, he only followed what the medical team told him.
Sadiq got 18 minutes of action when Real Sociedad lost 2-0 to Osasuna in the Copa Del Rey two days ago, and he will be looking to return to the starting lineup when they play Celta Vigo on January 20.
