Irish-Nigerian Footballer Michael Obafemi Out For Rest Of Southampton’s Season Due To Injury That Could Wreck His Career

Southampton striker Michael Obafemi has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury he sustained against Arsenal, as manager Ralph Hasenhuttl fears it could wreck his football career.

The 18-year-old Republic of Ireland international who was born in Dublin to Nigerian parents lasted just 20 minutes into his long-awaited comeback in the 2-0 Premier League defeat to Arsenal at the weekend.

At his press conference ahead of Wednesday night’s clash with Fulham, Hasenhuttl said: ‘We have a big injury with Michael. We took a long time to let him play again, we didn’t let him start.

‘But it’s completely different from training to when you play in the Premier League, the intensity is different. It’s a big blow. Until the end of the season, he will not play.

‘The worst thing is for himself. A big injury, at this age when you want to play, you want to get experience, you want to make the next step in your development, it doesn’t help him a lot for the future.

‘It’s a big problem for his career of playing professional football. We can find solutions but for him it is a disaster.

‘He was down, that’s for sure. We need to take him in our arms a little bit because for a young player it’s the worst that can happen.’