Nigeria have been dealt a huge blow as striker Cyriel Dessers is sidelined for a longer period due to an injury setback sustained at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Dessers missed the final group game against Uganda at the continental showpiece, after being excluded from the matchday squad by head coach Eric Chelle.
The Belgium-born forward has returned to his club, Panathinaikos, for further assessment, ruling him out of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Dessers, who joined Panathinaikos from Rangers for €4.63m, has endured a difficult season. After scoring twice in his first three games, an ankle injury ruled him out of 16 matches.
He made a return to action in December but played only 139 minutes before the continental showpiece in Morocco.
Having suffered another setback, Nigeria have released the forward to his club for treatment as AFCON 2025 heats up.
As revealed by coach Eric Chelle, Dessers could be out of action for 10-12 weeks, highlighting the severity of the injury.
“Dessers spoke with me this morning… will be out for maybe 10 to 12 weeks,” adding, “I’m disappointed for him… we have to play a great game tomorrow.” Chelle said.
The Super Eagles will lock horns with Mozambique on Monday night at the Complexe Sportif de Fès, with both teams seeking for victory to secure a place in the quarterfinals.
Chelle and his charges will be hoping to maintain their impressive run when they take on the Mozambique national team.
