…as Nwankwo shines in Crotone win
ANDREW EKEJIUBA
Southampton’s dashing Nigerian winger Nathan Tella may miss English Premier League cracker against in-form Manchester United side next Monday as Super Eagles striker Simeon Tochukwu Nwankwo, shines in Crotone Serie B win.
1stnewsonline.com gathered that Southampton is seriously sweating over the fitness of the Nigerian playmaker ahead of the encounter, which many soccer pundits term “Battle of Old Trafford.”
The former Arsenal player showcased himself in the Premier League 2 before he was promoted to the Saints first team for the remainder of the 2019-2020 season, and went on to make his professional debut against Norwich City last month.
Tella was an unused substitute in matches against Arsenal and Watford, but his name disappeared from the team sheet in back-to-back games against Manchester City and Everton due to poor fitness.
With Sofiane Boufal and Moussa Djenepo not available for selection due to injury, Tella would have been picked for an advanced midfield role assuming he was fit, Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl told reporters.
Last week, Tella committed his long-term future to Southampton by signing a new three-year contract until June 30, 2023.
Meanwhile, Super Eagles striker, Simeon Tochukwu Nwankwo, continued his rich vein of form by getting on the scoresheet as Crotone ran out 3-1 winners in a Serie B fixture against Cittadella at the Stadio Pier Cesare Tombolato on Friday night.
A week after the Super Eagles striker netted his first professional hat-trick, he took his tally for the season to 18 goals in all competitions, when he found the net in the 37th minute against Cittadella.
Simy, as he is fondly called, is now two strikes away from matching his personal record for goals scored in a single season. He had earlier netted 20 goals in his final season in Portugal with Gil Vicente FC and is in contention for the Golden Boot award in the Italian second-tier as he was one goal behind leading scorers, Pietro Iemmello (Perugia) and Stefano Pettinari (Trapani ), heading into Week 33.
Since joining Crotone, Simy has scored an impressive 43 goals, more than for any other club since moving to Europe in August 2010.