Finidi to miss vital month
FINIDI George has shrugged off a thigh strain and will be available for Ipswich Town's return to European football on Thursday night – but he will be ruled out of contention for up to five weeks early next year.
FINIDI George has shrugged off a thigh strain and will be available for Ipswich Town's return to European football on Thursday night – but he will be ruled out of contention for up to five weeks early next year.
George, who took a slight knock in the draw at Leicester on Saturday, will be on duty for Nigeria, and could miss up to nine Town games.
The striker who cost £3.1 million from Real Mallorca during the summer, will be involved in the African Nations Cup, which starts in Mali on Saturday January 19.
The squad could report up to a fortnight before the tournament starts and if Nigeria are successful, as they are expected to be, the
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30-year-old may not return until after the final on February 10.
Town manager George Burley said: "It is something we just have to accept. We knew he would be involved with Nigeria's international matches before we signed him."
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Nigeria are in Group A, along with hosts Mali, Liberia and Algeria, in the 16-team competition.
This means George, who has already helped his country qualify for next summer's world cup finals in Korea/Japan, will miss Town's home Premiership games with Spurs, Fulham and Liverpool, and the away matches at Derby, Fulham and Everton.
There are also both legs of the Worthington Cup semi-finals in that period and the FA Cup fourth round.
George has won 48 caps for his country and scored six goals in a career that has seen him play in three previous African Nations Cup tournaments, including the winning side in 1994.
