AFCON 2025: Why is the Super Eagles sweating on Akinsanmiro’s injury return?

Super Eagles watchers will note that Ebenezer Akinsanmiro is cutting it close in a race to be fit for AFCON 2025, but Pisa expect him back on the pitch next Sunday after three weeks out with a shoulder problem.

The midfielder has not played since he walked off in the second half of the November 7 game against Cremonese, an injury that immediately halted quiet discussions around a possible late invitation for Nigeria’s World Cup playoff squad.

Pisa have been without his intensity and ball-winning since then, and the Italian club have two league matches behind them without the 21-year-old. His return date, December 8, comes at a useful point in their midfield rotation, yet it is the timing relative to Nigeria that adds another layer. The Super Eagles are expected to begin assembling almost immediately afterwards, ahead of the Egypt friendly in Cairo on December 14.

Akinsanmiro remains on loan from Inter Milan, and his development this season has drawn praise from Alberto Gilardino, who has leaned heavily on the midfielder’s work rate, strength in duels and clean distribution. All of that explains why his name has lingered around the broader AFCON conversation.

Akinsanmiro offers something Super Eagles do not already have

Nigeria’s provisional list should already be with CAF, and with final submissions due on December 11, he effectively has one match to make a late push.

Nigeria’s midfield picture under Eric Chelle has been rigid. Raphael Onyedika, despite strong displays for Club Brugge in Belgium and the Champions League, has not earned the coach’s trust and is yet to start a single match under the Franco-Malian. Minutes have been scarce. Chelle has repeatedly returned to his preferred pairings: Iwobi–Ndidi or Iwobi–Onyeka, especially when he uses his 4-4-2 diamond.

Alhassan Yusuf continues to make the bench, while Fisayo Dele-Bashiru has re-entered the conversation after returning from injury against Milan last week. But none bring the blend of physicality, mobility and on-the-ball calm that Akinsanmiro has shown in Serie A.

That is why his name remains alive in internal discussions, even without a cap. The competition is open, Nigeria’s options remain uneven, and the final squad likely announced close to the December 11 deadline still has room for a midfielder who plays with purpose and clarity.