Roma youngster Abdullahi Nura has been forced to retire from football, aged just 21, with a heart condition after returning from a two-year loan stint at AC Perugia, Completesports.com reports.
The Nigerian who was also tormented by knee injuries during his short playing career, has now been offered a role in the Italian giants’ youth team.
The former right-back prodigy was signed for £2million by Roma’s then-director of football Walter Sabatini in 2015 after impressing for Spezia’s U-19 squad.
Heart problems meant Nura spent his early career in Serie A on the sidelines before his progress was cruelly further hampered by an ACL tear that ruled him out in 2017.
The 21-year-old spent two years in the Campionato Primavera before making his Serie B debut last season on loan at Perugia.
It has now been confirmed that the minor surgery Nura underwent for the heart ailment years ago caused failure to pass the club’s physical tests.
Nura, once a target for Barcelona, had signed a five-year deal at Roma last summer and is now working with the Italian giants to cancel the balance of his contract.
It has been reported that the youngster will take up a role in the club’s youth sector to hopefully begin a longer and more fulfilling career in coaching.
By Adeboye Amosu
