Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has explained why Victor Osimhen missed Nigeria’s recent AFCON 2027 qualifiers, insisting there is no conflict between the striker, Galatasaray and the national team, Footynaija.com reports.
Osimhen was initially part of Nigeria’s squad list for the qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau but eventually missed both games after suffering a groin injury.
The Galatasaray striker was also unavailable for Nigeria’s friendly against Russia, with Chelle now revealing that his absence was the result of an agreement with the Turkish champions over his recovery.
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“About 10-15 days before the international break, Victor got injured,” Chelle said, per RFU.
“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 recovered yet.”
Chelle explained that Osimhen’s name remained on the initial squad list because there was still hope that the 27-year-old would recover in time to feature for Nigeria.
The coach also moved to dismiss suggestions of a disagreement between himself and the forward, stressing that there was no issue behind Osimhen’s absence.
“We included him on the initial list because at that point we didn’t know whether he would have time to recover. There is no conflict between the player, the club, or the national team.”
Chelle also clarified comments he previously made about Osimhen’s future at Galatasaray during the summer transfer window, insisting the media took his words out of context at the time.
“Regarding my earlier comments about a possible transfer, they were misinterpreted. Viktor likes Galatasaray, and the club is happy with Viktor.
“I consider him one of the best strikers in the world. When a player performs at such a level, there’s always talk of transfers around him. I never said he wanted or should leave the club.”
The clarification comes as Osimhen edges closer to a return for Galatasaray after resuming partial team training on Tuesday.
The Nigerian has been recovering from the groin injury sustained in September but is now carefully working his way back to full fitness ahead of a possible return against Kasımpasa before Galatasaray’s Champions League clash with Barcelona.
