Nigeria, Jan. 3 -- Nigeria's Super Eagles have suffered a setback at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after striker Cyriel Dessers was ruled out of the tournament with a thigh injury and returned to his club side, Panathinaikos, in Greece.

Team officials confirmed on Friday that medical assessments showed Dessers would be unable to recover in time to play any part in the knockout stages, prompting a decision for him to leave the squad's base in Morocco and begin rehabilitation with his club.

The 31-year-old forward is yet to feature at the tournament, having struggled with the injury since Nigeria's group-stage campaign began.

Dessers' exit slightly reduces Nigeria's attacking options, but it comes at a time when the Super Eagles have bu...