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Oshoala out for 3 months

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In from Nifemi Daniel …

Nigeria Super Falcons striker and African Woman Player ‎of the year, Asisat Oshoala, has been ruled out of action till the end of the season after suffering a knee injury while in action for her English club, Liverpool Ladies.

Oshoala joins two other Liverpool Ladies players, midfielder Fara Williams and Defender Satara Murray (both hamstring) as they are set to miss the majority of the club’s remaining games this season after picking up injuries.

Manager Matt Beard told BBC Sport that Oshoala would miss “a couple of months” due to knee problems.

“It’s a big blow,” said Beard.

“It’s the spine of your team – your central midfielder, your centre-back and your centre-forward – but it’s one of those things.”

The players were all hurt during Saturday’s WSL 1 defeat by Notts County and did not feature in Thursday’s 2-0 Continental Tyres Cup victory against Everton.

Liverpool are the reigning Women’s Super League One champions but are currently only sixth in the table after a disappointing start to the season.

With the league concluding in October, Beard admitted that the new injuries would make defending their title even more difficult.

“They’re important players to us but it’s going to give maybe one or two of the younger players an opportunity,” he continued.

Read also: FIFA snubs Oshoala, Falcons

“We’ll do as much as we can, while we’re still involved in everything mathematically, to finish as high as we can.”

Beard also said that he did not think he would be in a position to make emergency loan signings to cover for the injured players.

The injury has also ruled Oshoala out of the return leg of the 2016 Olympics qualifier against Equatorial Guinea next week after Nigeria struggled to a 1-1 draw at home last weekend.

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