Terem Moffi has been called up to the Nigerian squad to replace Boniface who had just been ruled out of the tournament.
Nigeria’s Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface will miss this month’s Africa Cup of Nations after suffering a groin injury while training.
The 23-year-old was sidelined for the Super Eagles’s final warm-up friendly against Guinea on Monday. Local media reported that Victor Boniface suffered a groin injury that will reportedly keep him out for a month and a half at least.
In a response to the situation, Boniface posted:
“Good luck guys. Wish you guys all the best at afcon @ng_supereagles,” Boniface wrote on his Instagram account.
The talented striker is Bundesliga table-topper Leverkusen’s top scorer, netting 10 goals in 16 league games this season in a blistering start to the season that’s earned him the Bundesliga Rookie of the Year for August–November 2023.
Boniface made his international debut in October and has since earned four more caps.
His injury comes on top of the recent withdrawal of Nigerian midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, who was injured in Leicester City’s 2-0 win at Cardiff City on December 29.
Kelechi Iheanacho is also struggling with injury and the striker is still being assessed at Nigeria’s training camp. The expectation is that he will be fit for the tournament, which starts on Saturday.
With the Super Eagles gunning for its fourth AFCON title, this injury to Victor Boniface is yet another major blow suffered in the build-up to the tournament. However, there seems to be another player in fine form who could replace the 4-time Bundesliga Rookie of the Year winner, OGN Nice’s Terem Moffi.
Terem Moffi called up for the AFCONs
Pending the approval of CAF and concurrence of his club, Moffi is set to join the Nigerian squad to the replace Boniface. The forward netted twice during AFCON qualifiers, a brace in the ten-goal demolition against Sao Tome.
Nigeria opens its Cup of Nations campaign with a Group A game against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday. This is before meeting hosts Ivory Coast and then Guinea-Bissau in their final group game.
