Sadiq out for up to eight weeks with hamstring injury

Nigeria striker Sadiq Umar will be out for up to eight weeks after hurting his hamstring while at Valencia, reports PUNCH Sports Extra.

The 29-year-old injured himself during training on Monday. This was just a day after he played the full match in Valencia’s 3-1 loss to newly promoted Deportivo La Coruña, where he scored the only goal for his team.

“Following the tests carried out, it has been observed that the player Sadiq Umar suffers from an injury to the right hamstring region, suffered in the match last Sunday against RC Deportivo de A Coruña,” the club said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The Valencia striker will follow a medical, physiotherapy and rehabilitation plan at the Sports City until clinical improvement, which will allow him to rejoin the rest of the team.”

This injury is a setback for Valencia and coach Carlos Corberán. Umar has been an important player for the team since the season began. With him out, Arnaut Danjuma and Hugo Duro will likely take on more responsibilities.

Umar’s injury might also affect his chances to play for Nigeria in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in September. But it may not change coach Éric Chelle’s plans much since he has other attacking options.

Umar has not been a regular member of the Super Eagles under Chelle. The coach has players like Victor Osimhen, Akor Adams, Tolu Arokodare, Cyriel Dessers, and Rafiu Durosinmi to choose from.

This latest injury adds to the problems Umar has faced with injuries in the past few years. Valencia will now wait for further checks to see how serious the hamstring issue is and how long he will need to recover.

Meanwhile, the 29-year-old has not played for Nigeria since November 2024 and has dropped further down the selection list.

In an interview with RFI Hausa, Umar hinted that he is thinking about retiring from international football.

“Nobody called me. Maybe it’s not the kind of profile they wanted.

“I am thinking that maybe I should retire from the national team, by the grace of Allah. I’ll wait until the new season starts, then sit down and think about what I want to do next.”

Nigeria will play Madagascar at home in their first game of the 2027 AFCON qualifier on September 23, followed by a match against Guinea-Bissau away four days later.