Nigeria star Samuel Chukwueze has had successful surgery on the quadriceps of his left leg.

The 22-year-old winger sustained a muscle injury during his Spanish club Villarreal’s UEFA Europa League semi-final second-leg clash against Arsenal on May 6.

Chukwueze failed a late fitness test ahead of the Europa League final clash with Manchester United last Wednesday so was unable to feature in the victory that saw the club win its first-ever major trophy.

The La Liga club has now released the following statement confirming that the left-footed player underwent surgery at the Hospital Quironsalud in Barcelona.

“The Nigerian footballer’s quadricep was operated on by Doctor Ramon Cugat,” the club statement read.

“The Nigerian player tried everything possible to accelerate the recovery process to attempt to be available for the final of that competition, in Gdansk.”

“A few days before the game against Manchester United, Chukwueze once more felt problems in that area and the club’s medical services have decided that the best option for him would be surgery.”

“Villarreal CF would like to wish the forward a quick and successful recovery. Get well soon, Samu!”

Chukwueze scored five goals and recorded seven assists from 40 matches across all competitions for Villarreal during the 2020/21 season.

He is set to miss Nigeria’s international friendly game against Cameroon which will take place on June 4.