Afcon Qualifiers: Rohr confirms Musa won’t play but will train with Nigeria

Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr has confirmed Ahmed Musa will not play their final Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin and Lesotho.

Musa is yet to find a new club since he left Saudi Professional League club Al Nassr in October 2020 and he has not played a competitive match since he featured in the Super Eagles’ 4-4 draw against Sierra Leone on November 13.

Earlier this year, the former Leicester City forward was close to returning to the Premier League but his late move to West Bromwich Albion broke down due to the Baggies’ lack of funds.

Musa’s latest invitation to the Nigerian national team has raised eyebrows but Rohr maintained that he is still the team captain and he is in camp to train and keep his fitness level.

“Musa is our captain, and he is a part of the team though he won’t play because he has not been active, but we want to assist him to train and he will also help our team as we prepare for these two important matches,” Rohr told the Caf website.

Nigeria lead the Group L qualifying group with eight points after four matches while Benin trail in second place with seven points and Lesotho are at the bottom of the group with two points.

Rohr disclosed he is anticipating tough games in Porto Novo against the Squirrels and in Lagos against Lesotho on March 27 and 30 respectively.

“We want to finish our qualification on a positive note, and the two matches against Benin and Lesotho are very important,” he continued.

“Of course, we know that Benin is difficult to beat after our last game in Uyo (Nigeria won 2-1) and we need at least a point against them to qualify for next year’s Afcon.

“Then, we are playing our final game in Lagos. We want to win in Lagos because it has been a long time since we last played there, and we want to conclude the qualifiers with a victory as well.

“These are not going to be easy matches because Lesotho drew with Benin, but we are going to give our best against these opponents.”