Super Eagles’ Zaidu Sanusi To Stay Out Of Football For Eight Months

Super Eagles of Nigeria defender, Zaidu Sanusi, has successfully undergone surgery to treat an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) he suffered in his left knee.

Zaidu Sanusi suffered the injury in a Liga Portugal game between FC Porto and Estrela Amadora on Saturday, February 17, 2024.

Sanusi had to be substituted in the 32nd minute of the game due to the injury and further medical checks revealed that he had also ruptured the “external lateral ligament” of the same knee.

“The Nigerian international has a complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament and the external lateral ligament of his left knee”, a statement on the Porto X page reads.

Due to the severity of the injury, the 26-year-old defender had to be operated on and he is expected to stay away from football for almost eight months.

This means that Zaidu Sanusi who has played just five league games for Porto this season won’t make any more appearances for the Portuguese giants until the end of this season.

Recall that Sanusi was one of the most important players for the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the just concluded 2023 AFCON in which he missed two games out of seven due to fitness issues.

He played in the final of the tournament on February 11 and couldn’t help the Super Eagles to beat the hosts, Ivory Coast, to the 2023 AFCON title. Nigeria lost 2-1 as they returned to Abuja with the Silver medal.

A few days after being awarded the Member of the Niger (MON) alongside other members of the Super Eagles, he flew to Portugal to play against Estrela Amadora. Unfortunately, he ended the game with a season-ending injury.