Racing Genk of Belgium striker, Paul Ebere Onuachu has received comforting words from his club following his positive test for COVID-19 and subsequent exclusion from their pre-season friendly billed for Thursday, megasportsarena.com gathered.
This is sequel to reports that Onuachu, who was part of Nigeria’s bronze-winning squad at last year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, had to be excluded from the squad for the match after he was found to be positive from the coronavirus tests conducted for all the players a day earlier.
The 26-year-old product of FC Ebedei of Sagamu, who played for FC Midtjylland of Denmark before moving to Genk last summer, was part of the team’s routine tests conducted on all the players by the Belgian top-flight side on Tuesday but he was the only one reportedly positive when the results were released the following day.
He subsequently returned to the club’s Luminus Arena to commence self-isolation and quarantine while his teammates, who all came out with negative test results, proceeded for the proposed exhibition game against Eendracht Termien.
A report by Belgian publication, Het Laaste Niuews added that Onuachu, who has become an integral part of The Blue-White, who also have fellow-Nigerians Stephen Odey and new arrival, Cyriel Dessers in their squad, has received best wishes for quick recovery from his colleagues and officials in Hannes Wolf’s team.
The Smurfs are preparing for a bright start to the next season in Belgium, after the current top-flight campaign was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, during which Onuachu scored 10 goals and provided two assists, as his side romped to a seventh-place finish.
The youngster, who moved to Denmark in 2012 and bagged 52 goals in 135 league games during his seven-year stay at MCH Arena, will now hope to overcome the COVID-19 scare early enough, in order to return to top form with hys club.
Onuachu will aim to shake off the current setback and return stronger with the same passion that earned him an invitation to the Super Eagles in March 2019 and scored less than 20 seconds into his debut against Egypt during an international friendly played at Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba.
HLN Sport added that Onuachu becomes the second Nigerian footballer to contract the deadly respiratory disease, after Italy-based Akpan Udoh, who was infected in February, but the tall attacker’s Jupiler League club expressed optimism that he will recover fast enough like other stars that earlier tested positive and are now back at their best.
Belgian website hln.be disclosed: “In the run-up to the first exhibition game of the season, the entire Genk group was tested. Everyone tested negative except Onuachu.”
