AFCON 2025: Why Super Eagles must take Ola Aina fitness gamble

Super Eagles defender Ola Aina remains a major doubt for AFCON 2025 after Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche revealed that the fullback has not yet returned to team training. With the tournament only weeks away, the update casts fresh uncertainty over Nigeria’s defensive options at a time when Eric Chelle is already juggling setbacks.

Aina has been sidelined since pulling his hamstring during Nigeria’s World Cup qualifier against South Africa in September. The injury forced him out of four international fixtures, including last week’s decisive playoff games in Morocco. At club level, the 29-year-old has missed fourteen straight matches, even as clips of his personal training routines on social media sparked brief optimism among supporters.

Dyche, however, poured cold water on any suggestion of an imminent return when speaking ahead of Forest’s Europa League meeting with Malmö. The Forest boss was clear about where the defender stands physically, saying, “Ola Aina is not on the grass with us yet, he’s still going to take a bit of time.”

Super Eagles’ defensive calculus for AFCON 2025 shifts

Aina’s prolonged absence arrives at a difficult moment for the Super Eagles.

Benjamin Fredrick looked set to cover the gap after establishing himself over the last six international games, but his knee injury at Dender has ruled him out of AFCON 2025. The development leaves Chelle with fewer options than expected, making Aina’s recovery even more significant than it appeared two weeks ago.

There is also the calendar to consider. AFCON 2025 will stretch across several weeks, and that gives Aina a narrow window to force his way back. Even if he misses the early group matches, medical projections suggest he could be ready by the third game, a possibility that keeps him in the conversation.

Leaving out a player of his experience, only for him to regain fitness during the tournament, is the kind of scenario coaches hate to get wrong. That is why Chelle may have to gamble. He can call a replacement and reshape the full-back options entirely, or he can carry Aina with the belief that his tournament starts late. 

The Super Eagles will compete in Group C alongside Tunisia, Tanzania and Uganda in Fes.