Ademola Lookman injury update: Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has revealed that the Atletico Madrid forward took a knock to his knee in Nigeria’s 3-1 win over Tanzania, and the star is now a doubt for Tuesday’s return leg in Zanzibar.
Lookman was forced off in first-half stoppage time at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Friday night, and early reports feared a hamstring problem after he went down without any contact from a defender. But Chelle has now clarified the injury, telling reporters after the game that the problem is in Lookman’s knee — and he gave no timeline for his return.
Ademola Lookman injury update: What Chelle said about the Lookman knee knock
“Ademola has a little problem,” Chelle said after the match. “He took a knock on his knee when he tried to score a goal with his left foot.”
The coach added that the knee “started to feel bad” after the challenge, which is why Lookman had to leave the pitch. He was replaced by Moses Simon with the score at 1-1, and he watched the rest of the evening from the bench as Tolu Arokodare’s second-half brace sealed the win.
Chelle did not say how serious the injury is, and no recovery timeline has been confirmed. That means Lookman’s availability for the return fixture in Zanzibar on Tuesday, November 17, is still unknown, and Atletico Madrid are now waiting for the results of his examinations before they can assess the full extent of the problem.
A scare that could have been worse
The update will come as some relief in the Nigeria camp, where the first fear was a muscle injury that could have ruled Lookman out for weeks. A knock to the knee is a different problem entirely, and Chelle’s calm tone — “a little problem” — suggests the medical team do not yet see it as a long-term issue.
Still, the timing is awkward. Lookman had made a bright start to the match, slipping a pass through for Alhassan Yusuf to score inside two minutes, and he had an effort blocked in the 39th minute as Nigeria pushed for a second. He looked sharp until the moment he went down, and his departure forced Chelle to reshuffle his attack at half-time.
There were other worries too. Centre-back pairing Calvin Bassey and Benjamin Fredrick both received treatment late in the game, and Fredrick was stretchered off at one stage, so Chelle will be checking on more than one player before Tuesday.
What the injury means for Zanzibar — and Atletico
Nigeria travel to the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar for the return fixture on Tuesday, November 17, where another win would put them firmly in control of their qualification destiny. The Super Eagles sit second in Group L on six points from three matches, one behind leaders Guinea-Bissau, and a second win over Tanzania would keep the pressure on at the top.
If Lookman does not travel, Chelle will have to lean on Moses Simon, Moses Usor and the in-form Arokodare to carry the attack again. Nigeria are already without Victor Osimhen, who is out after knee surgery, and Samuel Chukwueze, who is sidelined following hip surgery, so the coach can least afford to lose another forward.
The timing is just as awkward for Atletico Madrid. Lookman has already struggled for minutes under Diego Simeone — he was left on the bench against Barcelona last weekend — and his agent says he wants a January exit, with Roma circling for a reunion with Gian Piero Gasperini. An injury now is the last thing the player or his club needs, with Atletico returning to LaLiga action against Getafe on November 22.
For now, there is no official word on how long Lookman will be out, and the picture should become clearer in the coming days. For more on the qualifiers, check today’s predictions. Nigeria got the win they desperately needed in Uyo — but Chelle’s biggest hope now is that his star forward is fit to travel.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0, Stepro) — collage by SportsBuddy
