Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen is yet to be free of COVID-19, his club Napoli have revealed.
The Nigerian tested positive for the virus on 30 December upon his return to Italy from a short holiday in Nigeria.
After days of self-isolation, another test was conducted on Monday, and the result was still positive.
“The molecular nasopharyngeal swab carried out this morning to the footballer Victor Osimhen, resulted in a positive result in Covid-19,” Napoli announced on Twitter on Monday night.
“The player will repeat the test this week.”
It is unusual to test positive twice, especially after treatment and quarantine, but Osimhen is not the first footballer that it has happened to.
Juventus forward Paolo Dybala needed more than two tests to be declared negative after contracting coronavirus last October.
Osimhen’s latest setback will see him miss even more matches and further incense Napoli manager Gennaro Gattuso.
The Nigerian star has now missed Napoli’s last 13 matches in all competitions, three of them since his first positive COVID-19 test.
Osimhen, who had earlier been incapacitated by a shoulder dislocation he suffered on international duty in November, drew the ire of Gattuso and the Napoli hierarchy after video footage emerged of the striker partying in Nigeria without taking any coronavirus precautions. He was reportedly fined two weeks wages and had to make a public apology.
He had been due to return to action after having recovered from the injury but is now set to miss more action due to the second coronavirus positive.
Osimhen cost Napoli an African record €80 million and has played only eight times for them this season, scoring two goals.
