At least five players have withdrawn from the original 28-man Nigeria squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
Al Shabab striker, Odion Ighalo, is the latest to pull out following contractual obligations with his Saudi Arabian club
Ighalo’s place will likely be taken by Feyenoord forward, Cyril Dessers.
Prior to that, Napoli hotshot Osimhen was left out of the final list, after contracting COVID-19. His Serie A club also threatened legal action as the player continues to recover from facial surgery.
Watford forward, Dennis Emmanuel, was also excused after his club blocked his departure, claiming the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) sent his invitation letter late.
Leon Balogun and the versatile Abdullahi Shehu are both out with injuries.
Tyrone Ebuehi and Semi Ajayi return to the squad, while Osimhen has been replaced by Henry Onyekuru who was also at the last tournament in Egypt.
Dennis’ place will be taken by the Czech Republic-based forward Peter Olayinka.