Nigeria’s qualification for the knockout phase of the Brazil 2014 World Cup came with a huge price as one of the revelation in the Super Eagles team, Babatunde Michael, has been ruled out with a fractured arm.
Babatunde, who caught the eye when he was handed his first start ever start for Nigeria in the game against Bosnia last weekend, was at the wrong end of a thunderous shot by teammate Ogenyi Onazi during the Argentina duel.
Interestingly, the Volyn Lutsk midfielder had recovered from a minor injury against Bosnia-Herzegovina to start again against Argentina on Wednesday.
A scan after the match revealed the extent of Babatunde’s injury, forcing the decision to end his maiden World Cup appearance early.
Though not too sure the true position of things when asked, Coach Stephen Keshi confirmed that Babatunde will need an operation on his broken arm.
“I think he’s got a broken hand and he’s going for surgery right now as we speak,” Nigerian coach Stephen Keshi told Reuters Africa.
“So I’m not sure if he’s still going to participate in this World Cup. But we’ll see how he goes. But it’s not good.”
Nigeria finished second behind Argentina in Group F to progress to the knockout stage and will face France in a second round match on Monday.

World Cup: Babatunde Michael out with broken arm