Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has revealed that Nathan Tella was originally expected to be part of Nigeria’s squad for the Unity Cup tournament in London before injury ruled him out of the competition.
Tella endured a difficult campaign plagued by fitness setbacks and recurring injury problems throughout the season.
The versatile forward was sidelined on several occasions due to a knee bruise, foot injury, and muscular issues limiting his involvement for Leverkusen during the Bundesliga campaign.
The 26-year-old also missed Leverkusen’s final two matches of the season against Stuttgart and Hamburg because of muscular injuries, with Chelle confirming that the same issue prevented him from linking up with the national team for the Unity Cup.
Speaking after Nigeria’s 2-0 victory over Zimbabwe in the semifinal clash, Chelle explained that the coaching crew continues to monitor a large pool of players across Europe despite Tella’s absence.
"Of course, for example Nathan (Tella) was supposed to come but he had some injury,” Chelle said.
“We follow maybe 80 players per week in Europe and about 150 players monthly. So we follow a lot of players in Europe, particularly in Germany and England.”
Nigeria’s victory over Zimbabwe secured the Super Eagles a place in the final of the friendly tournament, where they will face the winner of the second semifinal between India and Jamaica.
Adeyemi Adewale
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