Super Eagles star reveals fitness status ahead of Eric Chelle’s squad announcement for Jordan tie

Super Eagles defender Semi Ajayi says he is feeling strong again after recovering from the injury he suffered at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Afrik-Foot reports.

This raises hopes that he could be included when Nigeria name their squad for the upcoming international friendlies later this month.

The experienced centre-back played an important role for the Nigeria national football team during the tournament in Morocco. Nigeria finished third after defeating the Egypt national football team on penalties in the bronze medal match.

However, Ajayi picked up a hamstring injury during that clash with Egypt. The problem forced the defender to spend several weeks on the sidelines and miss a number of matches for his club, Hull City.

Ajayi eventually made his return to the pitch in Hull City’s match against Millwall and has since started two of the club’s last three games, showing clear signs that he is getting back to his best level.

Reflecting on his recovery, the Nigerian international said he is pleased with how his body has responded as he builds match fitness again.

“I am feeling really good. It was my second 90 minutes, so I am getting back into the full swing of things and looking forward to pushing for the rest of the season,” Ajayi told Hull’s official webpage.

Ajayi also played the full match in Hull’s recent defeat to West Bromwich Albion. Despite the result, the defender believes the team must quickly move forward as they prepare for their next Championship challenge.

“We are looking forward to being back in front of our fans. There is no easy game in this league, so we won’t be taking it lightly.

“We need to be at the top of our game and make sure that we are to put this result behind us.”

Earlier in the year, Ajayi enjoyed a strong AFCON campaign. One of his standout moments came in Nigeria’s opening win against Tanzania, where he scored and was named Man of the Match.

With his fitness improving, Ajayi will now hope to maintain his form as Hull push for a Championship playoff place.

Chelle expected to reveal Super Eagles squad soon

Ajayi’s return to full fitness comes at an important time for the Super Eagles, as head coach Eric Chelle is expected to announce his squad for Nigeria’s upcoming friendlies in the coming days.

Nigeria are scheduled to take part in a four-nation invitational tournament later this month. The competition will feature the Super Eagles, Iran, Jordan and Costa Rica.

The matches were originally planned to take place in Amman, but organisers decided to move the tournament to Antalya in Turkey due to the current situation in the Middle East and restrictions affecting travel in the region.

Despite the venue change, the schedule remains unchanged. Nigeria will face Iran on 27 March before taking on Jordan on 31 March.

Reports suggest that Chelle has already submitted a provisional squad list to the Nigeria Football Federation.

However, the final squad is expected to be publicly announced shortly before the international window begins. Early indications suggest that the coach may include a couple of new players in the squad as he continues to assess his options ahead of future competitive matches.

There are also expected absences, with goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali likely to miss the mini-tournament. Ajayi, however, is believed to be firmly back in contention following his recovery.