Samuel Chukwueze: Silva blames Super Eagles for winger’s lack of Fulham minutes

Samuel Chukwueze’s contribution against Sunderland last weekend suggested he was edging closer to a breakthrough at Fulham, but Marco Silva’s remarks this week have dampened those expectations somewhat.

The Fulham manager acknowledged the winger’s quality, yet he also hinted that the Super Eagles star has struggled to build momentum because of how often he has been away with Nigeria.

Since arriving on loan from AC Milan, Chukwueze has not enjoyed a single settled stretch with the squad. He joined late, missed pre-season entirely, and has already been out on three international windows.

Silva stressed that this has slowed his adaptation far more than anything happening on the pitch. “He hasn’t had the same training load as the others,” the manager said during his press conference. “You can see the quality, but he needs more time with us.”

AFCON 2025 ensures Chukwueze’s situation won’t improve soon

Even the lively cameo that produced Raúl Jiménez’s winning goal did not shift the manager’s tone. Silva explained that continuity still dictates his selections: “When a player is in and out, it’s harder for him and harder for us.” Kevin, the winger ahead of him, has trained uninterrupted since arriving from Shakhtar Donetsk, and that stability has kept him in the XI.

CAF’s instruction that all AFCON-bound players must be released from 9 December makes Fulham’s challenge even steeper. That period falls directly into England’s most congested fixture run, meaning Chukwueze will disappear again just as the Premier League schedule tightens.

Nigeria’s preparations will take him fully out of Marco Silva’s hands. The Super Eagles have a friendly lined up in Egypt on 14 December before flying to Fes, where they will be based for the group stage of AFCON 2025. 

The 26-year-old  is expected to be part of Eric Chelle’s main squad barring any late setback, so he will not return to Fulham until deep into January, provided Nigeria make it out of a Group C that contains Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania.