Victor Osimhen’s inclusion in Eric Chelle’s Super Eagles squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers came as a surprise, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Galatasaray striker has not played since suffering a right-groin injury on September 4, leaving his availability for Nigeria’s matches against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau in serious doubt.
Chelle picked him anyway. Nigeria will face Madagascar in Uyo on September 25 before travelling to Guinea-Bissau four days later, giving Osimhen only a short window to prove his fitness.
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The injury that changed everything
Victor Osimhen scored Galatasaray’s opening goal in their 3-2 win at Istanbul Basaksehir on September 4 but was forced off in the 33rd minute after feeling pain in his right groin.
Galatasaray later confirmed the severity of the problem after medical tests found a moderate-to-severe strain with bleeding in the right adductor muscle group.
The injury was expected to keep him out until after the international break.
He subsequently missed Galatasaray’s Champions League opener against Sporting CP on September 9 and the 1-0 league win over Kocaelispor four days later.
His possible return against Trabzonspor on September 19 then became another important marker.
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But on Thursday, Osimhen was still training separately from the main group, completing an individual gym session with Mario Lemina. Both players were considered unlikely to travel for the Trabzonspor match.
That leaves Osimhen with no competitive appearance since September 4 before Nigeria’s first qualifier.
Why Chelle took the gamble
Chelle has not publicly explained why he selected an injured Osimhen.
His decision, however, keeps open the possibility of having Nigeria’s first-choice striker available later in the international window.
September 25 is 21 days after Osimhen suffered the injury. That gives him time to recover, return to full training and undergo further medical checks before a decision is made on his involvement.
Chelle has also avoided making Osimhen’s fitness a single point of failure.
The squad includes Tolu Arokodare, Akor Adams and George Ilenikhena, giving Nigeria three other centre-forward options if the Galatasaray star is unavailable.
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Three options behind Osimhen
Arokodare has made a strong start at Ajax, scoring twice and providing one assist in his first five Eredivisie appearances. He also scored twice against Sion in the Conference League play-offs.
Adams has also started the season regularly with Venezia. The striker scored in the 4-2 Serie A defeat by Fiorentina on September 11 and netted twice against Modena in the Coppa Italia.
Ilenikhena provides the newest option. The 20-year-old Al-Ittihad forward has scored four goals and supplied two assists in six Saudi Pro League appearances. He scored twice against Al-Nassr before adding another goal against Al-Fayha.
His first Super Eagles invitation therefore gives Chelle another young striker with recent goals behind him.
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Can Osimhen face Madagascar?
There is no confirmation yet that he can. Osimhen has missed two Galatasaray matches since the injury and had not returned to full team training by September 17.
That leaves eight days between the squad announcement and Nigeria’s match against Madagascar.
A return to full training would be the first major step. Whether Osimhen can then handle competitive football is a separate question.
Chelle’s decision to select him does not mean he will start in Uyo. It only gives Nigeria more time to make that decision.
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Why his presence still matters
Even if Osimhen cannot start, keeping him in camp gives Chelle access to his experience and allows Nigeria’s medical and technical teams to assess his recovery directly.
The coach can also prepare Arokodare, Adams or Ilenikhena to lead the attack while Osimhen works towards full fitness.
That makes the squad selection less about declaring Osimhen fit and more about refusing to rule him out too early.
The Galatasaray striker is still injured, and his return to full training will determine what role he can play.
Chelle has picked Osimhen. Now the question is whether the striker can recover quickly enough to make that decision worthwhile against Madagascar.
