Nigerian midfielder Azubuike Okechukwu will be sidelined for nine months after suffering an achilles injury.
Okechukwu sustained the injury during his club Rizespor’s final pre season game, the club said in a statement on Thursday.
The player has, however, had a successful surgery, but he’s not expected to return to action sooner.
The surgeon Mehmet Emin Erdil, who carried out the operation at the Acibadem Maslak Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey said :
“The estimated return time of Azubuike to the field is six to nine months,” Erdil said.
“We convey our best wishes to our football player and hope that he will return to the field stronger than before.”
The former U23 captain has not been lucky with injury recently ashis three-year spell with Istanbul Basaksehir was blighted by injury.
The 26-year-old former Sivasspor and Yeni Malatyaspor, only joined Rizespors last transfer window.
