Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has dismissed suggestions of a disagreement with Victor Osimhen and explained why the striker missed Nigeria’s matches during the latest international window.
Osimhen was unavailable for Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, as well as Tuesday’s 3-3 friendly draw with Russia.
The Galatasaray striker was initially included in Nigeria’s squad but failed to recover from an injury in time to join the team.
Chelle said the injury occurred around two weeks before the international break, leaving the coaching staff hopeful that Osimhen could regain fitness before the fixtures.
“About 10-15 days before the international break, Victor got injured,” Chelle said, according to Championat.
“We agreed that if he recovered and played for Galatasaray before the international break, the club would let him join us. But he couldn’t play in that game because he hadn’t yet recovered.”
The Super Eagles coach explained that Osimhen’s inclusion in the initial squad was based on the possibility that he would recover before the international window.
“We included him on the initial list because at that point we didn’t know whether he would have time to recover,” Chelle added.
The coach also moved to dispel reports of tension between the striker, his club and the national team.
“There is no conflict between the player, the club, or the national team,” Chelle said.
Osimhen’s absence was particularly notable during Nigeria’s 3-3 comeback draw against Russia, with the Super Eagles scoring twice in the final stages to rescue a point in Nizhny Novgorod.
Chelle will now hope the Napoli loanee can return to full fitness ahead of Nigeria’s upcoming international assignments.
