There is reportedly some trouble brewing in the Nigeria camp ahead of their decisive semi-final tie against South Africa at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Striker Kelechi Iheanacho is suspected to be unhappy with manager Jose Peseiro following his failure to appear for the side's pre-match press conference on Tuesday, according to soccernet.ng.
Read: Nigeria boss lauds PSL ahead of Bafana semi
Despite the Super Eagles having made it to the last four of the tournament with an opportunity to take themselves to the final on the horizon, the Leicester City attacker is yet to make an appearance at AFCON 2023.
When previously asked about the 27-year-old's lack of playing time, Peseiro attributed this to him recovering from an injury he had sustained prior to the competition.
The manager added that the player arrived late to the camp, and that if there were any issues between them, Iheanacho "would have stayed home".
New reports, however, suggest that the forward's decision to snub the press conference, despite being scheduled to attend it, was due to his unhappiness with his lack of minutes at to date at the showpiece.
Fullback Ola Aina stepped in to attend the conference alongside his manager instead, with Super Eagles spokesperson Babafemi Raji said to have told reporters who were present that it was the team's decision to replace Iheanacho with the Nottingham Forest defender.
Read: Super Eagles get surprise boost ahead of crunch Bafana tie
Despite having top strikers such as the Foxes star and CAF African Men's Player of the Year Victor Osimhen, Peseiro's men have struggled in front of goal so far in the Ivory Coast, scoring just six times in their past five games.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH: