<
>

Nigeria striker Samuel replaces injured Iwobi

Nigerian call-up Aaron Samuel Olanare chases a loose ball for CSKA Moscow against FC Tosno Leningrad Oblast during aRussian Football League match at Petrovsky Stadium on 9 August, 2017. Epsilon/Getty Images

CSKA Moscow forward Aaron Samuel and Standard Liege defender Uche Agbo have been moved up from standby to the main Nigeria squad ahead of this weekend's 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Cameroon.

Samuel replaces Arsenal forward Alex Iwobi, who has been ruled out with a thigh strain, while Agbo is in as cover in case of any unexpected injuries in defense.

Samuel, 23, has made seven appearances for Nigeria, scoring twice. His last appearance came in 2015 when Nigeria beat Chad 2-0 in Kaduna.

He made his debut a year earlier in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sudan in Abuja, as a scoring substitute in a 3-1 win. That was followed by another scoring appearance in his very next game, a 2-0 win away to Congo in Pointe Noire.

Samuel missed the majority of the 2016 season after suffering a major knee injury while playing for CSKA, which required surgery. He has made 12 appearances for the club in 2017.

Meanwhile, Agbo's call-up is also in anticipation of a failure to get international clearance for Hull City's Ola Aina. Aina has represented England at all youth levels from under-16 through under-21 level. His clearance from FIFA is still being processed.