'Told me he's fine' - Eguavoen reveals talks with rehabbing Super Eagles striker Osimhen pre-AFCON

Nigeria's interim manager Augustine Eguavoen has revealed that he has held talks with Napoli striker Victor Osimhen ahead of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

The whole country and also fans of the Super Eagles are in suspense over Osimhen's availability for the tournament which kicks off in Cameroon on January 9, 2022 following the injury he suffered while on club duties.

Earlier, Napoli did not expect their number nine to return to action until February 21 but it is looking likely that his estimated downtime could be shortened by at least one month as he has started training with a provisional protective mask.

The Super Eagles medical team in conjunction with their Napoli counterparts will continue to monitor the progress of the rehabbing striker before deciding whether or not he is fit enough to play in the AFCON.

Eguavoen underlined that Osimhen's health comes first before international duty with the Super Eagles in Cameroon.

Speaking on Monday, Eguavoen stated : "A lot of alternatives (to replace Osimhen) but Victor brings a lot to the team. I spoke with him two days ago, we didn't talk about football.

"I was only concerned about his health and he told me he's fine and we left it at that so we'll keep monitoring him.

"I didn't want to start boring him with Cup of Nations, come and play, it's just what we want from him to come and perform and win the Cup.

"We have to look after his health as well. We spoke about his health, he said he's fine. Hopefully, he will be available for the AFCON".

Osimhen followed in the footsteps of his mentor Odion Ighalo by finishing the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers as the top scorer with five goals to his name, an honour he shared with Leicester City's Zambia star Patson Daka.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel