Super Eagles have suffered another big blow in their fading chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after hard-working defender, Ola Aina, was ruled out for the next three months, thereby missing out on the remaining must-win games against Lesotho and Benin Republic in October.
It would be recalled that the Nottingham Forest defender was taken off in the 10th minute of Nigeria’s World Cup qualifier against South Africa on Tuesday and scans have revealed that he will be out of action until early December as a best-case scenario.
The game against Bafana Bafana ended 1-1, thereby almost putting paid to the country’s quest to return to the Mundial after missing out on the last tournament in Qatar.
According to a statement by his club, Aina has been ruled out for three months with a hamstring injury sustained on international duty.
New boss Ange Postecoglou had confirmed on Thursday that the 28-year-old was being assessed, and will now be without him until the new year.
Aina’s absence leaves Postecoglou with a selection dilemma ahead of Forest’s trip to Arsenal as new signing Oleksandr Zinchenko is ineligible to play against his parent club.
