Victor Moses out with muscle strain

The midfielder was unlisted for Nigeria’s match against Argentina and has now been confirmed to be carrying an injury

By Lolade Adewuyi in Campinas

Confirmation has come through that Nigeria midfielder Victor Moses is out with a muscle strain, the reason why he was left out of the game with Argentina on Wednesday.

The Chelsea man has not made an appearance since being taken off during their first game against Iran. The muscle strain was discovered by team medics after the match so he was advised to rest.

After avoiding the question at several press briefings underlying some tension between both men, coach Stephen Keshi has now confirmed the player’s situation via the team’s official

“We can understand that all players want to play at the big stage but it’s up to us and the medical team to manage their career and balance it with due diligence regarding their health, and that is why we have not played him. We hope he should be back in training later on Thursday,” said Keshi.

Media reports are claiming that there was a bust up between the coach and the player ahead of the game with Argentina. Website All Nigeria Soccer claims that Moses refused to sit on the bench, instead prefering to stay in the bleachers after learning he was not going to start against the Albiceleste.

But the player has claimed that he was indeed injured in recent tweets.

“The lads were brilliant again yesterday and did the country proud. Gutted to miss it again with a muscle strain but working hard to get back fit and strong for France game,” Moses tweeted moments after the team’s official release had been made public.

However, the Super Eagles are expected to be without the services of Michael Babatunde who suffered a fracture in his hand against Argentina. He caught a shot in his arm off team mate Ogenyi Onazi in the second half.

“Plenty of love to my brother Michael Babatunde. In all things, we give thanks to God,” Onazi tweeted with a photo of the duo.

Nigeria returned to Campinas on Thursday to begin preparations for their second round match against France that will take place in Brasilia.

They will hold their first training at the Estadio Guarani by 6pm.