Osimhen Faces Surgery as Galatasaray Confirms Knee Issue

Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen is set for another surgery. Galatasaray announced that he will have an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee. This raises doubts about whether he will play for Nigeria in the upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Tanzania.

The Turkish champions shared the news on Friday. They said Osimhen hurt his left knee during their UEFA Champions League match against VfB Stuttgart.

An MRI scan showed a loose body in his knee. This led the club to schedule surgery for Saturday at Maslak Acıbadem Hospital.

Galatasaray stated that the procedure will be done by the club’s doctor, Yener İnce. They also confirmed that Osimhen will miss Saturday’s domestic match against Amed Sportif Faaliyetler.

This news is a big blow for Nigeria as they prepare for two matches against Tanzania in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers. The Super Eagles will play the Taifa Stars in Uyo on 13 November. They will then travel to Tanzania for the return game on 17 November.

Osimhen’s absence would be another setback for head coach Éric Chelle. He has had to manage the team’s attack without the Galatasaray forward before.

The 27-year-old missed Nigeria’s first two qualifying matches against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau in September. He struggled to recover from a muscle injury he got during Galatasaray’s 3-2 win over Istanbul Basaksehir on 4 September.

Osimhen was initially included in Chelle’s squad for those matches. But he had to withdraw when his recovery took longer than expected.

Galatasaray reported that medical tests showed a moderate-to-advanced strain with bleeding in his right adductor muscle group. Now, this new injury to his left knee brings another fitness challenge for the striker.

Galatasaray has not yet given any timeline for his recovery after the surgery. Nigeria is in Group L with Tanzania, Madagascar, and Guinea-Bissau. Tanzania, one of the tournament’s co-hosts along with Kenya and Uganda, has already secured automatic qualification for the 2027 finals. This means the other three countries will fight for the last qualifying spot.