Atalanta BC head coach Piero Gasperini is not comfortable with the absence of Africa Cup Of Nations (AFCON) bound winger Ademola Lookman npflupdates.com reports.
Gasperini will be without Lookman who is expected to join the Super Eagles United Arab Emirates (UAE) camp before first day of January 2024.
Also read: Lookman Fires Warning To 2023 AFCON Opponent With Fantastic Atalanta Finish
Lookman so far this 2023/2024 season has scored seven goals for Atalanta BC in seventeen games; and has been an integar part of the squad since joining them few seasons ago.
The former RB Leipzig winger scored the only of the Italian Serie A fixture against Lecce yesterday. And according to sources will fly out of Italy to join his teammates on Sunday(today).
What Gasperini said about Lookman and the Super Eagles
“It was a good game, unfortunately Lookman will fly out tomorrow, but we have Muriel, Scamacca, De Ketelaere, Miranchuk and Toure. It will be an opportunity for them,” Gasperini was quoted by PUNCH Nigeria.
According to the Italian manager, in as much he doesn’t wish Nigeria bad luck in Ivory Coast, he also wants his player back, hale and hearty as soon as possible.
“I don’t want to act like I’m wishing Nigeria don’t do well, but naturally we hope Lookman isn’t away for too long. Above all, we hope he doesn’t get injured.”
Speaking about the game between Lecce, Gasperini said, “We struggled in the final 10 minutes, but Lecce deserves the credit for that. It’s never easy, they are well organised, so we had to be patient and that also means giving them the occasional scoring opportunity.”
Lookman is expected to be with the Super Eagles team that will attempt to win the 34th edition of the biennial tournament.
Also read: 3 Important Takeaways From Super Eagles Squad For The 2023 AFCON
Nigeria is seeded in Group A alongside the hosts Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. The three-time African champions will Kickstart their charge for a fourth title against Equatorial Guinea on 14 January, 2024.
