Irish winger Chiedozie Ogbene suffered a significant injury in Ipswich’s Premier League game against Brentford on Saturday, and is set for a considerable spell on the sidelines.
Ogbene went down under no contact but it immediately looked serious and he was stretchered off in severe pain.
“It is a bad one. We think he’s torn his Achilles. We’ll need to see, but he’s going to be out for a period of time.” Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna confirmed after the game.
A torn Achilles injury can sideline a player for up to six months, which would rule Ogbene out of Ireland’s upcoming Nations League games against Finland and England next month. Ogbene may also struggle to be fit for a Nations League relegation playoff in March, should it be required.
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Ogbene has been a regular starter for Heimir Hallgrímsson and his predecessor Stephen Kenny, playing 24 games and scoring four goals. His injury could open the door for Festy Ebosele, who came on as a substitute for Ogbene in the last two Nations League games. Ebosele started in Watford’s 1-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers in the Championship on Saturday.
Ireland’s Sammie Szmodics was on target for Ipswich as they were beaten 4-3 by Brentford after taking a 2-0 lead. Bryan Mbeumo’s winning goal, which came with 96 minutes on the clock, arrived against opposition seeking a first win of the season, at the Gtech Community Stadium.
“It’s sickening to not get any points from the game, for the goal to come so late in the manner it did. The biggest feeling I hope I have on Monday will be pride,” McKenna said.
Ireland captain Nathan Collins also started the game.
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