Leicester evaluating Ndidi’s injury, Peseiro pours cold water on rift with midfielder
Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has returned to England for evaluation after picking up an injury while on international duty with Nigeria.
The Leicester City midfielder had been expected to start in the Super Eagles’ friendly against Algeria on September 27.
The 25-year-old missed the final 12 league games of the 2021-22 after sustaining knee ligament damage against Rennes in the Europa Conference League.
He subsequently played no part in the Super Eagles’ AFCON qualifiers against Sao Tome and Principe and Sierra Leone in June.
Nevertheless, Ndidi has featured in every Premier League game for the Foxes this season and was hoping for his first taste of action under new Nigeria manager Jose Peseiro.
Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka or Club Brugge’s uncapped Raphael Onyedika are the names in the frame to replace Ndidi against the Desert Foxes.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian national team handler has moved quickly to quash reports that Ndidi left camp for other reasons apart from injury
Peseiro has waved away rumours that he had a disagreement with Ndidi.
The Portuguese manager insists that the only reason why Ndidi left camp early for England was because of injury and nothing else.
Soccernet earlier reported that Ndidi had suffered an injury in training, which ruled the midfielder out of the friendly meetings with Algeria on Friday and September 27.
But recent reports from the Nigerian camp in Algeria suggest that there was more to Ndidi’s premature departure.
The former Gent star is reported to have had issues with Peseiro over the role he is expected to play against the Desert Warriors.
While the coach purportedly wanted Ndidi, predominantly a defensive midfielder, to switch and play in central defence, the 25-year-old rejected the proposal. And that was believed to be why he left camp before the games.
But coach Peseiro, in an interview with the NFF TV, has denied there is no truth in the spurious allegations.
The former Sporting Lisbon manager maintains that he gave Ndidi permission to leave as the player was indeed injured, and there was no need to risk him aggravating the situation.
