Russia’s head coach, Valery Karpin, believes Nigeria will still pose a strong challenge despite the absence of star forwards Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman. As Russia prepares to take on the Super Eagles in a friendly match at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium this Friday, Karpin acknowledged the quality of the players missing from the Nigerian squad, but insisted their absence doesn’t weaken the team in a major way.

“I would have liked to see Osimhen and Lookman in action,” Karpin said in a chat with Komsomolskaya Pravda. “It would have been a good test for us. But even without them, Nigeria remains a solid side.” Nigeria’s coach, Eric Chelle, also left out Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey for the clash, but the team still has momentum. The Super Eagles are coming off a Unity Cup win, having edged Jamaica 5-4 on penalties after a thrilling 2-2 draw in regulation time. The friendly against Russia is set to kick off at 6 p.m. Nigerian time.

Victor Osimhen has made it onto Manchester United’s shortlist of strikers as the club prepares for a major squad shakeup under incoming manager Ruben Amorim. The Nigerian forward, currently on loan at Galatasaray from Napoli, is expected to make a permanent move this summer.

Osimhen has been in outstanding form, finishing his loan spell with a total of 37 goals in all competitions, including his 26th in the Turkish league during Galatasaray’s 2-0 win over İstanbul Başakşehir. That match marked his final appearance for the club, as his loan deal is set to expire.

According to The Sun UK, he’s one of five attacking options being considered by United. Others on the list include Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres, Ipswich’s Liam Delap, Hugo Ekitike of Eintracht Frankfurt, and Moise Kean, who’s currently at Fiorentina. While United assess their options, reports suggest Delap is already edging closer to a move to Chelsea.

Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed he will stay at Al-Nassr this summer, signing a new contract with the Saudi club. The Portuguese forward, who just completed his third season in the Saudi Pro League, will not be taking part in the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup.

At 40 years old, Ronaldo finished as the league’s top scorer for the second year running, but Al-Nassr ended the season in third place after a tough campaign and missed out on qualifying for the AFC Champions League. After their 3-2 loss to Al-Fateh in the final match of the 2024/25 season, Ronaldo had hinted at leaving the club by tweeting, “This chapter is over,” which sparked rumors linking him with moves to other teams, including Al-Hilal.

However, reports from FootMercato reveal that Al-Nassr have now agreed to extend Ronaldo’s contract, with the deal already signed. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is expected to remain with the Knights of Najd for another two seasons, continuing his journey in Saudi Arabia.