AC Milan coach confirms Chukwueze is on the injured list, reveals player likely to replace Super Eagles winger
Published: October 21, 2023
On the eve of AC Milan's Serie A clash against Juventus at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, manager Stefano Pioli addressed the media and touched on a variety of topics including an injury update on his squad.
Pioli confirmed that Samuel Chukweze is unavailable for selection against the Bianconeri after returning from international duty with the Super Eagles crocked.
The winger suffered a left hamstring injury during Nigeria's training camp in Portugal and was left out of the gameday squad against Mozambique on Monday, October 16.
Pioli has not put a timeframe on Chukwueze's recovery from the injury but he's rated as doubtful for Nigeria's crucial 2026 World Cup qualifying matches with Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
In quotes related by AC Milan's official website, Pioli said: "We recover Kalulu and Krunić, Loftus-Cheek is healed but he is not 100% so he won't be there, I hope we can recover him for the Champions League.
"Instead we lose Chukwueze and Sportiello. Since the beginning of the year we have had four muscle injuries."
Chukwueze has played second fiddle to former Chelsea star Christian Pulisic on the right wing, making only three starts from a possible ten since the start of the 2023-2024 campaign.
Pioli has no doubt that Luka Romero can step into the shoes of the Nigeria international.
When asked to reveal the player who will replace Chukwueze, he answered: "Luka is the natural alternative to Pulisic at the moment and I would be very happy if he managed to find space in these matches, because he is working very well and deserves it. "
After Milan's clash with Juventus, they go to Paris to take on PSG in the Champions League before matches against Napoli and Udinese.
Igho Kingsley
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