Super Eagles goalkeeper Ezenwa suffers knee injury that will keep him out of action for a while

SUPER Eagles goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa is poised to be out of action or a while after picking up an ankle injury with his clubside Enyimba of Aba during a league match against Kwara United in Ilorin.

Ezenwa, who is one of coach Gernot Rohr's favourite three goalkeepers alongside Francis Uzoho and Daniel Akpeyi, manned goal for Nigeria during several World Cup qualification matches. During the last two friendlies against Serbia and Poland, it was the trio who were invited to camp and looked set to be the three goal tenders taken to the World Cup this summer.

However, Ezenwa suffered what looked like a serious injury during the league game and had to be stretchered off the pitch. As the severity of the injury is not yet known, it cannot be ascertained if this will affect his World Cup chances but the goalkeeper now looks set to at least miss his club’s Caf Confederation Cup play-off return leg match in Calabar against Bidvest Wits of South Africa.

Nigeria's Super Eagle will resume camp next month ahead of a friendly against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Port Harcourt on May 25 and it is not yet known if Ezenwa will be fit by then. Former home-based Eagles goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim recently said that he is confident that the trio of Uzoho, Ezenwa and Akpeyi are good enough for the World Cup.

However, if Ezenwa is unable to return soon, coach Rohr may opt for other goalkeepers like Dele Aiyenugba, Dele Ajiboye or Dele Alampasu. Fifa has asked all of the 32 teams going to the World Cup to submit a preliminary list of 30 players it intends to take to the tournament by May 14.