Dike's Surgery Successful

Nigeria striker, Bright Dike, has expressed appreciation for the "many kind words" he has received after undergoing surgery on his injured Achilles. The 27 year-old wrote on Twitter that the "surgery went well".

Already, reports suggest that the former Portland Timbers man has been ruled out of the Major League Soccer (MLS) for the rest of the season as well as the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil billed to kick off in June. But Nigeria manager, Stephen Keshi, has refused to rule out the burly striker until he gets "the real facts of the matter".

"This is very sad. I can't believe this is happening to a player with such enthusiasm to play for Nigeria at the highest level, we will surely miss him, if it's true he would not be ready on time for the World Cup. I can't think of any replacement for now until we get to the real facts of the matter", Keshi, who is at present part of Nigeria's delegation to the FIFA seminar in Florianopolis, Brazil, said.

Last year, Dike missed the FIFA Confederations Cup following a tear in his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). He will now miss the international friendly match against Mexico on March 5.