A member of the Flying Eagles team that won the 2015 African Youth Championship title in Senegal, Obinna Nwobodo has been ruled out of the FIFA U-20 World Cup championship in New Zealand this month.

The Enugu Rangers attacking midfielder suffered a cruciate ligament injury at the final game of the 2015 African Youth Championship, which now requires surgery and will sideline him for as long as nine months.

The 18-year-old Nwobodo who was named on a provisional 35-man squad for the World Cup has now been ruled out of the competition.

Nwobodo was named the man of the match for helping the young Eagles beat Ghana at the AYC after he opened scoring with a header off a corner, and also gave two assists in a 2-2 draw with Cote d’Ivoire in a group game in Mbour.

Officials of both the Nigeria Football Federation and the National Sports Commission (NSC) are now working on an arrangement for him to be treated overseas.