The striker did not fly with the squad from Abidjan, where they beat Angola in the quarterfinals on Friday, to Bouake where the first of tomorrow’s semifinals will be played.

“Team medics confirmed that he has been placed under close watch with a member of the medical team staying behind in Abidjan with him. If cleared by tomorrow morning, he will join the rest of the squad before 5pm,” a Nigerian Football Federation statement said.

Osimhen’s absence would be a major blow to Nigeria, for whom he has been their outstanding performer at the tournament with his endless running and phenomenal work rate.

The Bouake clash is followed tomorrow by the second semifinal in Abidjan in which hosts Ivory Coast face the Democratic Republic of the Congo.