“It is unfortunate that [Moses] Simon won't be able to make it to the World Cup because of his injury. The test we conducted on him showed that he would need at least three or four weeks more to recover from the injury he is having,” Rohr said Sunday as quoted by the website goal.com.

The coach added that it was a "sad day" for the Nigerian team because Moses was one of the key players and was instrumental in the Super Eagles' World Cup qualifying campaign.

The 22-year-old, who plays for Belgian side Gent, has been capped 21 times for Nigeria, scoring a total of four international goals. He sustained the injury during a training session and will not be included in the final 23-man squad to be announced by June 4.

Russia will host its first-ever FIFA World Cup from June 14 to July 15, with the matches set to take place at 12 stadiums in 11 cities across the country. Nigeria will face Argentina, Iceland and Croatia in Group D.