Okechukwu Azubuike to spend two weeks on the sidelines

Nigeria U23 captain Okechukwu Azubuike is expected to be sidelined for two weeks after suffering an injury in training, reports www.aclsports.com

Azubuike, on loan at Turkish Super Lig leaders Istanbul Başakşehir from Egyptian side Pyramids was a second half substitute in Başakşehir’s first league game after the re-start against Alanyaspor but was not listed for their clash with Ankaragucu on Friday.

The 23-year old suffered a muscular injury towards the end of his team’s training session on Wednesday as they prepared for the trip to Ankara, effectively ruling him out of the tie.

Results from the MRI tests conducted on Saturday showed that the former Bayelsa United midfielder suffered a Grade 1 tear which will require a fortnight to be healed.

The injury comes as a blow to manager Okan Buruk who has insisted that he needed all his top stars to be available for the title run-in with Anthony Nwakaeme’s Trabzonspor.

Azubuike will now miss next weekend’s big Istanbul clash with Galatasaray and the visit of Antalyaspor to their Fatih Terim Stadium in Istanbul a week later.

Istanbul Başakşehir are currently leading the Super Lig table with 59 points, three ahead of Trabzonspor who visit Alanyaspor on Monday evening.