Arsenal midfielder Alex Iwobi has been forced out of training with Nigeria after suffering from food poisoning, Nigeria coach Samson Siasia has confirmed.
Iwobi, 19, was struck down after eating a salad with the rest of the squad at the training base in Abuja which has led to him being taken to hospital.
“He suffered from food poisoning and so was not part of the training,” Siasia told a news conference. “But his condition is stable.”
Iwobi has played two friendlies for Nigeria, having come through the youth ranks with England, and was expected to make his first competitive appearance for the country of his birth in an African Nations Cup qualifier against Egypt on Friday.
That would have meant Iwobi’s international allegiance was pledged to Nigeria, with reports on Monday that England had tried to get the player to commit to them.
Iwobi linked up with Nigeria after scoring on his first Premier League start for the Gunners on Saturday, in a 2-0 victory at Everton.
In a similar development, immediate past assistant coach of the Super Eagles, Belgium’s Jean Francois Losciuto underwent surgery in January 2016 after he injected a small metal while eating at the Super Eagles camp.
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