NIGERIA’S Super Eagles will be without the services of Bordeaux winger Samuel Kalu for the international friendly against Brazil taking place in Singapore on October 13 after he picked up an injury in training with his club.
Kalu, alongside Lille’s Victor Osimhen and Villarreal’s Samuel Chukwueze dazzled fans during last month’s friendly against Ukraine, scoring two first goals, leading to the belief that they would be Nigeria’s forward line for the future. However, the trio will not feature next Sunday as Kalu picked up an injury in training and missed Bordeaux’s Saturday’s 3-1 away loss at Toulouse as a result of the setback.
Head coach Gernot Rohr has decided to invite CSKA Sofia of Bulgaria winger Efosa Solomon-Otabor as a replacement. This will be the first time Solomon-Otabor has been invited to the Super Eagles and his invitation caused a stir among Nigerian Football Federation officials who questioned whether he is good enough for such responsibility.
Solomon-Otabor, 23, has featured in seven league games for CSKA Sofia this season and does not have the scoring record of the likes of Kalu, Osimhen and Chukwueze. Monaco’s Henry Onyekuru, who would have been a natural replacement is also out injured for the second match in a row.
Nigeria will be without the services of several key players including Kenneth Omeruo, Ahmed Musa, Onyekuru and Kalu for the game. London-born Solomon-Otabor started off his career at Conference North club Oxford City in 2014 and first played for Birmingham in the League Cup in August 2015 before spending time on loan to League One clubs Bolton Wanderers, Blackpool and Portsmouth.
