Tolu Arokodare Raises Doubts Over His Fitness After Victor Osimhen’s Withdrawal
- Tolu Arokodare joined the Super Eagles camp for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau despite admitting he is not fully fit
- The Ajax striker came off the bench on Sunday and scored within two minutes against Excelsior, but confessed his body gave out almost immediately
- Arokodare's fitness concerns add to coach Eric Chelle's worries after Victor Osimhen also pulled out of the squad with a groin injury
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Tolu Arokodare has raised doubts about his readiness for international duty after admitting he is not yet fully fit, joining the Super Eagles squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.
The development puts coach Eric Chelle in a difficult position, with the striker's availability uncertain at a critical stage of Nigeria's qualification campaign.
Source: Getty Images
Arokodare speaks about his fitness status
Despite his physical state, Arokodare made a memorable contribution for Ajax on Sunday, coming off the bench to score just two minutes after his introduction and rescue a draw at home against Excelsior.
But the Wolverhampton Wanderers striker, speaking to ESPN after the game, was candid about what the match revealed about his body.
“You could see after five or six minutes that I was hunched over because I was tired. I needed this match to realize that I am not yet 100 percent fit. I still feel weak,” he said.
The striker explained that he had hoped to start the match but his legs were not up to it, partly because of a tactical training session held that morning.
"I haven't recovered as much as I thought. I wanted to start, but I don't think I could have. We had a tactical training session in the morning and my legs were weak,” he added.
“I was dead after five or six minutes into the match. I am happy that I was able to come on, though. Hopefully, I will recover fully during the international break.”
The timing of Arokodare's admission is particularly difficult for the Super Eagles coaching staff. Victor Osimhen, Nigeria's first-choice striker, withdrew from the squad after failing to recover from a groin injury, leaving Chelle short of reliable attacking options ahead of the two qualifiers.
Arokodare's form at club level had offered some encouragement, but his own comments suggest he may not be able to carry a full game load if called upon during the international break.
As noted by Transfermarkt, he has six goals and two assists in nine games since joining the Dutch club on loan from Wolves.
Whether he recovers in time to play a meaningful role against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau remains to be seen.
Taiwo Awoniyi replaces Victor Osimhen
Legit.ng previously reported that Eric Chelle called up Taiwo Awoniyi as a replacement for Victor Osimhen after the Galatasaray star withdrew due to injury.
Osimhen was initially invited despite being unfit, and was ultimately dropped after missing Galatasaray’s 4-0 loss to Trabzonspor before the break.
Source: Legit.ng
