Onuachu Is Back In Training, And Yohanna Is Out
Lagos · Friday 11 September 2026
Paul Onuachu has returned to training at Trabzonspor after his injury scare, easing the pressure on Eric Chelle ahead of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers. In the same window Brighton confirmed that Zadok Yohanna's injury rules him out of the Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau fixtures.
What a squad list actually is
It gets reported as a selection, as though a coach sat down and picked his best twenty-three. In an international window it is closer to an inventory: who is fit, who their club will release, and who can travel in the time available.
| Decided by | Who controls it |
|---|---|
| Fitness | The club's medical staff |
| Release for the window | The club |
| Match sharpness | The club's manager |
| The final list | The national coach, from what is left |
Three of the four rows sit outside the national team's control.
Why Onuachu specifically matters this week
Because Victor Osimhen is out for roughly three weeks, and a centre-forward shortage is the one problem Nigeria is not used to having. Onuachu scored twice for Trabzonspor and then left the pitch injured at the weekend, which turned a routine window into a genuine selection problem for about four days.
Nigeria's squad depth is usually discussed as a list of names. It is really a list of medical departments in six countries.
The Yohanna side of the ledger
Brighton confirming an injury before the window is the version of this that works. Clubs and national federations argue constantly about late withdrawals, and an early, public confirmation lets a coach plan rather than improvise on the eve of a qualifier.
What to watch in the fixtures
Whether Chelle starts Onuachu or protects him. A coach with a striker two weeks back from a knock and a qualifier that Nigeria are expected to win has an obvious, unglamorous option, which is to use him for half an hour and keep him for the second fixture.
That is usually the right call and it is almost never the popular one.
Reporting: Soccernet NG, AllNigeriaSoccer and Brighton's published team news.
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