Napoli have announced that their striker Victor Osimhen won’t return to Italy as he tested positive for COVID before boarding from Nigeria.

Osimhen is in Nigeria’s squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

The 23-year-old was expected to return to Naples to assess his cheekbone injury on Friday.

He had been ruled out for three months following the injury, but later received green light from doctors to resume training.

However, the swab test he underwent in Nigeria before boarding on Thursday (today) came back positive, so the forward didn’t leave his native country.

“SSC Napoli announces that the player Victor James Osimhen tested positive, asymptomatic, at Covid-19 during the execution of the swab before the trip to Italy, where a check-up by Prof. Tartaro was scheduled for tomorrow,” reads a statement on the club’s website.

” Consequently, the local authorities have ordered the isolation of the player and the check-up will be rescheduled after the negativization and his return to the community.”

Osimhen had already tested positive for COVID one year ago, when he returned to Nigeria to celebrate his birthday.

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