Super Eagles full-back Bright Osayi-Samuel is in a race against time to be fit for Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers early next month.
Named in the 23-man squad for the matches against Benin and Rwanda, Osayi-Samuel will hope to recover in time for the games after sitting out his club’s match over the weekend.
The 26-year-old was missing from Fenerbahce’s 5-0 away win at Caykur Rizespor last weekend after injuring his ankle against Gaziantep.
He has featured twice already this season for Jose Mourinho's side, playing in the win against Adana Demirspor and the draw with Goztepe.
Bright Osayi-Samuel doubtful for Super Eagles AFCON qualifiers
Osayi-Samuel has been working away from the main Fenerbahce group since his injury and has a 50-50 chance of being available for his team’s next game against Alanyaspor this weekend.
The former Queens Park Rangers player was part of Nigeria’s last internationals in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, as the Super Eagles drew 1-1 with South Africa and lost 2-1 to Benin.
He will now be sweating to be fit for the two games, with barely a week to go before camp resumes in Uyo.
The Super Eagles are expected to report to camp on Monday, 2 September, as they begin preparation for the upcoming 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
Nigeria will face Benin on 7 September at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo and then play Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.
Osayi-Samuel made his debut for Nigeria in an international friendly against Portugal in November 2022 and has racked up 18 caps since then.
He was also part of Nigeria’s squad for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast, where the Super Eagles made it all the way to the final before losing to the hosts.