José Peseiro admitted on Wednesday that he has some doubts about the condition of the Real Sociedad forward, who left his national team’s training camp in the midst of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with suspected injury.
“I am also confused,” Peseiro told reporters in Abidjan. The Portuguese coach explained the situation when asked about Umar Sadiq’s rapid recovery from physical problems, stating that the player would be fit for the next club game.
“I received a report from the national team’s medical staff stating that he was injured and could not recover for at least 15 days,” he explained.
According to Peseiro, the document “was sent to the club,” which gave the green light for the player to participate, despite not ruling out “the possibility of needing surgery,” he added.
“We had a meeting with the coaching staff, and the player wanted to stay, but on the last day we could replace him, we decided to do so,” he explained.
Sadiq played the final minutes of Nigeria’s 1-1 draw with Equatorial Guinea in a preparation match before the competition.
To worsen the situation, the forward had already missed the entire previous season due to a serious knee injury.
“I’m glad he recovered so quickly, but I’m sad he can’t help us,” he concluded.
Real Sociedad coach Imanol Aguacil said this week that it was the African country’s federation that decided for the player to return to Spain and did not rule out the possibility of him playing against Osasuna.
