Boost for Super Eagles! Iheanacho recovers as Jose Peseiro confirms arrival dates for Onuachu and Moffi

(L-R): Super Eagles trio Kelechi Iheanacho, Terem Moffi, and Paul Onuacho. (Photo Credit: Imago)

Boost for Super Eagles! Iheanacho recovers as Jose Peseiro confirms arrival dates for Onuachu and Moffi

Izuchukwu Akawor 13:54 - 13.01.2024

Kelechi Iheanacho fighting fit for AFCON2023 after rapid recovery as Paul Onuachu bolsters attack - But nervy wait continues for Terem Moffi with under 48 Hours until kick-off.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have been handed a major fitness boost ahead of their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, opener with the timely arrival of forward Kelechi Iheanacho

Pulse Sports Nigeria can report that the Leicester City versatile forward has had a major injury concern heading into the tournament, but Nigerian coach Jose Peseiro has delivered a much-needed positive update. 

Iheanacho joins Super Eagles

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have been sweating on the fitness of Iheanacho ahead of their AFCON2023 clash against Equatorial Guinea on January 14, 2023. 

The 27-year-old was not among Nigeria’s pre-tournament preparations in Abu Dhabi due to an injury, missing the friendly matches against Al Gharbia and Guinea.

Iheanacho captained the Super Eagles to a draw against Lesotho. (Photo Credit: Imago)

As reported by Pulse Sports, Leicester City confirmed there was no end in sight for Nigeria's Iheanacho's injury woes through their manager, Enzo Maresca.

Speaking ahead on their trip to Millwall, Maresca looked frustrated as he noted that his Nigerian forward would not be part of the travelling squad.

Kelechi Iheanacho last featured for Leicester City against Ipswich on Boxing Day. (Photo Credit: LCFC/X)

However, Jose Peseiro has not allayed any fears after he confirmed the arrival of a fully fit senior man.

“Kelechi Iheanacho arrived this morning at 4 am and has completely recovered,” Peseiro stated in his pre-match press conference as per a post from ACLSports. 

var widgetLoaderConfig = widgetLoaderConfig || { CDN_URL: 'https://widgets.sportal365.com', APP_LINK: 'desktop', API_URL: 'https://africa.football.api.sportal365.com/', API_KEY: '2f852b4de2f3a5cf3188e74b33087bb4:2c18422f8e826a7d11aeed52edb2449e', LANG: 'en', REQUEST_INTERVAL: 30, ENABLE_BET_SLIP: false, AUTHOR: false, THEME: "light", TOURNAMENT_ORDER: "pulse_nigeria", LINK_OPTIONS_V2: { 'player' : { 'url': '/football/player/{playerId}' }, 'team' : { 'url': '/football/{teamId}' }, 'tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}' }, 'match': { 'url' : '/football/match/{matchId}', 'sort': { 'criteria': 'alphabetically', 'direction': 'asc' } }, 'configuration': { 'newWindow': false }, 'standings_tournament': { 'url': '/football/competition/{tournamentId}/standings' } } }; if (!document.querySelector('script[src="https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js"]')) { window.setTimeout(function () { let scriptCss = document.createElement('link'); scriptCss.href = 'https://www.pulsesports.ng/css/sport-widgets.css?v=1668785443'; scriptCss.rel = 'stylesheet'; scriptCss.type = 'text/css'; document.body.appendChild(scriptCss); let scriptTag = document.createElement('script'); scriptTag.src = 'https://widgets.sportal365.com/loader.bundle.min.js'; scriptTag.defer = true; scriptTag.onload = function () { window.setTimeout(function () { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }, 200); }; document.head.appendChild(scriptTag); }, 0); } else { new SMPWidgetsLoader(widgetLoaderConfig); }

Moffi and Onuachu update

In a related development, there was more positive news for the Super Eagles as the coach also confirmed the arrival of giant forward, Paul Onuachu. 

The 6ft 8 in star, a late replacement for the injured Umar Sadiq, has also linked up with his teammates ahead of the opener but Nigeria is set to be without Terem Moffi, another late replacement for Victor Boniface, for the game on Sunday.

Onuachu celebrating a goal for Trabzonspor || Image credit: Imago

Moffi is not expected in Cote d’Ivoire until late Sunday night. 

“Moffi will arrive tomorrow at 8 pm while Paul Onauchu arrived this morning, too,” Peseiro added. 

Related content