Oshimhen ‘almost lost’ his left eye – Surgeon reveals

Nigerian forward Victor Oshimhen almost lost his left eye after a horrific head collision with  Inter defender Milan Skriniar last week.

Gianpaolo Tartaro, the surgeon who operated on Oshimhen Tuesday,  revealed this on Saturday.

Inter went on to win the Serie A encounter against Napoli 3-2.

“He had a series of fractures, it was as if his head had ended up under a press,” he told newsmen.

“The eye came out of its socket. It is not simple at all, in fact it is very delicate due to the crushing of the socket, due to the curving of the malar bone [which is] practically destroyed. The various fractures, not only the cheekbone, obviously brought complications and six plates and 18 screws had to be inserted,” he added.

Oshimhen was discharged on Friday but could be sidelined for three months.

He is expected to wear a special face covering once he returns to action.

Row

In the meantime, a row between clubside Napoli and the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) over Oshimhen’s availability for the 2022 AFCON could be on the cards.

This is because Napoli insist the 22-year old will not be available for the Super Eagles in Cameroun because he would need to extensively recover.

But Nigerian football authorities may insist on the assessment of an International medical team before agreeing to leave him out.

Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica reported that Napoli owner De Laurentiis may seek legal backing to prevent the Nigerian forward from featuring in only his second AFCON in February 2022.

Prior to his injury, Oshimhen had scored five league goals with two assists in eleven appearances for Napoli.

In Europe, the 2015 U-17 FIFA World Cup winner netted four goals in three starts.

Mazino Dickson/Daily Mail & La Repubblica