This is another blow for the Super Eagles, as striker Sadiq Umar is forced to sit out the 2023 African Cup of Nations due to a knee injury sustained during Nigeria's 2-0 friendly defeat against the Syli Stars of Guinea on Monday.

This setback follows the earlier exclusion of Victor Boniface from the competition set to commence tomorrow, January 13, in Ivory Coast.

In response to Umar's injury, the official Super Eagles account announced in a Friday statement on X that Paul Onuachu would step in to replace him. The 26-year-old Umar's absence due to injury prompted the call-up of Onuachu to bolster the squad for the upcoming tournament.

The statement read, "Sadiq Umar is out of the AFCON 2023 squad due to injury, and Paul Onuachu replaces him."

Onuachu, who was part of the AFCON 2019 finals in Egypt, unfortunately missed the previous competition in Cameroon due to an injury. Now, the 29-year-old, with an impressive record of nine goals and three assists in 15 games for Trabzonspor this season, can impact the upcoming African football showcase.