Photo by ISIPhotos.com
Bright Dike was looking at 2014 as a potential dream season. As a member of Toronto FC’s revamped squad, he was looking like the perfect complement to new forwards Jermain DeFoe and Gilberto. With the Nigerian national team, he had realistic hopes of possibly playing his way into a place on the World Cup squad.
Those dreams appear to be over.
Dike suffered a torn Achilles during a training session in Orlando on Monday that will sideline him for the rest of the 2014 season, Goal.com reported late the same day. The injury, the second major injury Dike has suffered in little more than two years, also ends his hopes of making Nigeria’s World Cup team.
Toronto FC released a statement late on Monday evening confirming that Dike had suffered an injury in training, but did not elaborate on the severity, saying only that Dike would be evaluated by team physicians on Tuesday.
Dike suffered a torn ACL almost exactly two years earlier, while with the Portland Timbers. An injury that cost him the 2012 MLS season, and saw him work his way back with the Timbers reserves before being traded to Toronto FC in 2013.
Dike showed encouraging flashes of potential late in TFC’s 2013 season, and did enough to earn a look from the Nigerian national team. The highlight of his career came last November, when he scored for Nigeria against Italy in a friendly match played in London.
What do you think of this development? See TFC being able to cope without their big forward option?
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