Nigeria and AC Milan winger Samuel Chukwueze will play no further part in the remainder of the season after suffering a thigh strain. This is the second injury that the 24-year-old has suffered this term after missing nearly four weeks of action earlier in the season.
Chukwueze has endured a rocky campaign since swapping Villarreal for the Rossoneri last year. The €28 million signing is yet to enjoy an extended run in the team, having often played second fiddle to Rafael Leao, Christian Pulusic and Yunus Musah.
In the Serie A, Chukwueze has started as many games as he has been among the substitutes. Of the 24 league matches that he has played this season, only 12 of them have been starts. While Stefano Pioli has often spoken highly of the Nigerian, the AC Milan manager doesn’t seem to trust him as much as he does his other wing options.
Chukwueze was beginning to warm himself back into the starting line-up before being hampered by his latest injury. The former Villarreal winger started each of AC Milan’s last two league games against Genoa and Cagliari, and even contributed an assist against the latter.
The Nigeria international was in line to start his third successive game against Torino on Saturday, but has now been ruled out for the rest of the season. Chukwueze complained of discomfort during AC Milan’s 5-1 thrashing of Cagliari last Saturday, and was replaced by Leao at half-time.
Having undergone clinical tests, it has now been confirmed that he suffered a hamstring to his left thigh. According to Sky Sports, Chukwueze has suffered a first-degree lesion of the femoral biceps of his left thigh. This kind of injury can rule a player out for several weeks, although the report suggests Chukwueze will be monitored with a new MRI over the next few days to ascertain the full extent of the injury. 
He joins Milan’s tall list of players rocked by injuries, including Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mike Maignan, Simon Kjaer and Fabio Mirante. Meanwhile, Saturday’s clash against Torino is not the only game that Chukwueze will miss, as he’ll also not be available for the Rossoneri’s final match of the season against Salernitana at the San Siro. 
Chukwueze’s hamstring injury, however, pulls down the curtains on what has been an underwhelming debut season in Italy. The winger has so far failed to produce the spark that made him one of the most exciting forwards in La Liga, and has only managed three goals and three assists in all competitions this season.
A rupture of the biceps femoris tendon typically takes between four to six weeks to heal, and that means Chukwueze is facing a race against time to be fit for Nigeria’s upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The Super Eagles have two crucial fixtures in June against South Africa and Benin, and need to win to make up for their winless start to the qualifying campaign. While Chukwueze is one of Nigeria’s most highly-rated wingers in Europe, not much has gone his way in recent months.
His injury makes it nearly impossible for him to be in contention for selection, and even if he were to regain full fitness before June, his inconsistent form could still make it hard for him to break into the Super Eagles squad.
Chukwueze was sparingly used during the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ivory Coast, and didn’t impress in the games that he played as Jose Peseiro’s side finished the tournament with a silver medal. Newly appointed Super Eagles head coach Finidi George also dropped the AC Milan star during the March international friendlies – a clear sign that he doesn’t rate Chukwueze above his current options on the wings.
It’s been an already difficult season for the 23-year-old, and his latest injury only makes it harder for him to break into the Super Eagles squad for the World Cup qualifiers next month.
Emmanuel Ayamga is an Asante Kotoko fan and a passionate sports journalist with a little over five years of experience writing about African football.
His articles and features have been published in renowned news media like The Guardian, DW, Al Jazeera and Sportskeeda. His bylines can also be found in the UK journals World Soccer Magazine and These Football Times.
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