Chidozie Awaziem was conspicuously missing from the matchday squad of French Ligue 1 side Bordeaux in their 0-1 loss to Nantes, a defeat which extends their winless run to three games.
Awaziem was roundly praised for his performance in Nantes games before the defeat against Bordeaux today, particularly in the game against PSG on Wednesday.
With 17 appearances to his name after 22 league games in France, it came to many as a surprise when the Nigerian wasn’t listed by coach Claudio Ranieri in the matchday squad for the loss to Bordeaux.
Owngoalnigeria.com can exclusively reveal that the 21 year old picked up a muscle injury in their last game against Toulouse, which ended 1-1 and he failed to shake it off before the game against Bordeaux.
He will also miss their next league game as he is isn’t expected to be fully fit next weekend, even though the muscle injury won’t require surgery to be cured.
A senior international for Nigeria, he is presently out on a season long loan to Nantes from Portuguese side FC Porto, who are in talks with the French side over making his move permanent when his loan ends in the summer.
However Porto are not keen on agreeing a deal with Nantes with Awaziem set to represent Nigeria at the World Cup in Russia, where his value could soar if he gets to play well for Nigeria during the tournament.
Osas Emmanuel
