By Wale Mustapha
Bayer Leverkusen head coach Kasper Hjulmand has confirmed that Nigerian winger Nathan Tella is expected to return to action after the upcoming international break.
Tella has been sidelined since September after sustaining a knee injury during Leverkusen’s 3–1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.
The 24-year-old Super Eagles forward has recently resumed light training, working individually as he continues his recovery, but is yet to regain full match fitness.
Speaking ahead of Leverkusen’s weekend clash against Heidenheim, Hjulmand provided an update on Tella’s condition, expressing optimism about his imminent return.
“Nathan and Axel are already back on the pitch. Both are training individually and making good progress,” the Danish coach told the club’s official website.
“I think the international break over the next two weeks will help them recover fully, and we expect to have them back afterwards.”
Tella joined Bayer Leverkusen from Southampton last year and has impressed with his pace and versatility before the injury setback. His return is expected to provide a significant boost to the Bundesliga leaders as they continue their push for domestic and European success.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
