Tag: Ndidi

Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi  believes  the Organised Labour’s strike on Monday  has negatively  affected the Super Eagles’ preparations for tomorrow’s  crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa in Uyo.

Ndidi in an interview with NFF TV, decried  the situation  that hindered the full complements  of the team  to arrive on time  at their Uyo camp  with only 15 out of  the 23 invited players training on Monday.

“To be honest it(labour strike)has affected preparation because normally we ought to have started training on Saturday but few days have gone but we are yet to achieve that and I think it has affected the team in some way,” the 27-year-old said.“ By now, we supposed to know what we are doing regarding how to approach the game but we haven’t been able to do that.

“ But with more players in camp it would be great addition for us to prepare better,” he noted.

The  Labour strike  notwithstanding,  the former Genk Midfielder  remains  optimistic that the Super  Eagles will give a good account of themselves on Friday since  would be up against South Africa who would be eager to avenge their semi –final loss  to Nigeria at the 2023 AFCON held in Cote d’Ivoire.

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He continued: “The way we performed at the AFCON has raised our standards and the expectations are now really high. I think we still have most of the players that played at the AFCON and the new head coach was there with the team as well. We just need Nigerians support and we will do our best. We know that the two games are very important but we must focus on the South African game first. It is that outcome of that game that will give us the confidence to go for the game.

“Playing the South Africans again after facing them at the AFCON makes it more difficult for us. They will come for revenge. We are expecting that,” he noted.

 “It is not going to be an easy game because the Bafana Bafana when they looked back at the outcome of the game in February, where we knocked them out in the semi-final, it will be a difficult game and an interesting game,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ndidi has  called for the support of Nigerians on Friday to ensure that they are able to navigate their ways against a tough South African side.

.Leicester defender to  hit Uyo  camp on Saturday

Nigeria and Leicester City  defender, Wilfred Ndidi,  has said that  the absence of top striker Victor Osimhen  will not affect the overall performance of  the Super Eagles in the forthcoming  FIFA World Cup 26 double header, even   as he promised to  be among the early birds to  hit the team’s camp on June 1 in Uyo.

The  injured Napoli striker  has been ruled out of  both clashes against South Africa on June 7  in Uyo and  on June 10 against Republic of Benin in  their adopted home ground in Abidjan in  Cote d’ Ivoire.

Speaking in Lagos at the New Maracana Complex in Ajegunle, Ndidi who paid a scheduled inspection to the complex to see the facility and an hostel he facilitated, said the Super Eagles have quality players who can deliver the six vital points without Osimhen.

He said: “Osimhen is a great player, he’s a hustler. I call him hustler because he plays like a street footballer with strength and strong mentality. There is no doubt that we are going to miss him. He’s quite important to the team because he drives the team forward and he has great impact.

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 “However, we have many great strikers who can bring their own dynamics into the team and make an impact. It’s all about the team. This is not the time to begin to think about him not been around but to go out there and win the matches and wish him the best as he recovers from his injury.”

Noting that he’s fully back to his best after series of injuries  that denied him the Africa Cup of Nations, Ndidi  said he believed  in the team and the new head coach Finidi George to get the maximum points.

“Finidi is a great coach. I was with him in Morocco during the friendly matches, which was quite difficult for him because he was all alone. Now that he has the full complement of his assistants, we are going to see the best of him with the support of all Nigerians and the football federation.”

Ndidi who also spent quality time with hundreds of up and coming boys and girls that took to the pitches of the Maracana Complex, said he will  join the  Super Eagles camp in  on Saturday.

Nigeria international midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has expressed appreciation to Chief of Staff to President Bola  Ahmed Tinubu, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, for standing by him throughout his trying time at Leicester United.

Ndidi who was out on injury while playing in the England lower division, The  Championship in the just ended season, said the football loving former Speaker House of Representative was there to encourage him.

Though Ndidi missed the Africa  Cup of Nations this year, he was part of the victorious Leicester side which won the EFL Championship and gained promotion to the English Premier League (EPL).

Now  holidaying in Lagos, Ndidi  also thanked Nigerians for their prayers and support during his trying times.

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“I wish to thank all Nigerians who supported and prayed for me during my injury and long layoff when I missed the Nations Cup,”  Ndidi wrote.

The midfielder  who missed the 2023 AFCON tournament due to an injury he suffered in December while playing for Leicester City, said he was proud to be a Nigerian player.

“I am greatly encouraged to participate in sports development and to wear the green and white jersey of this beautiful country,” he stated.

Ndidi is expected to be part of the Super Eagles team for the World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic.

Wilfred Ndidi scored his third goal of the English Championship for Leicester City to beat West Bromwich Albion 2-1 to boost their hopes of automatic promotion back to the Premier League.

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They are in a race to grab one of the automatic spots for promotion back to the Premier League.

Ndidi netted the opening goal for the home team after 22 minutes, when he finished off a rebound almost on the goal line.

Tottenham and Newcastle United are vying for Wilfried Ndidi in the summer.

The midfielder is destined to leave Leicester City as a free agent. According to HITC, Tottenham and Newcastle United are the teams vying to sign Leicester City midfielder on a free transfer.

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While the Foxes would ideally like to keep him, they are outside their control, as the 27-year-old FA Cup winner could have a choice of clubs to select from when the season ends.

Galatasaray, the Süper Lig side, has rekindled their interest in Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi ahead of the 2024-25 season campaign, Soccernet. ng reports.

Ndidi, currently with Leicester City, sees his contract with the Foxes expiring at the end of the season. While discussions on renewal are on hold until the season concludes, Galatasaray is eyeing a move for the talented midfielder.

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Leicester City, led by Enzo Maresca, is on the verge of securing promotion back to the English Premier League after a year of relegation from the top flight. However, their eligibility for the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League hinges on their performance in the league.

Meanwhile, Galatasaray sits atop the Süper Lig with nine games left, securing a spot in the Champions League next season with a two-point lead over second-place Fenerbahce.

Galatasaray aims to leverage Champions League football to entice Ndidi to Turkey. Despite a drop in his market value from its peak of 60 million Euros in 2021 to 16 million Euros currently, Ndidi remains a target for several clubs including Bayern Munich, Sevilla, and Liverpool, all potentially vying for his signature in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Italian  coach Enzo Maresca has  described  the return of Nigeria  international defender  Wilfred Ndidi  to action for Leicester City after months of injury-enforced  absence as  something  good  for his side.

The 27-year-old  Nigeria  international defender  has been out injured since December  which subsequently  ruled him out of  the 2023  Africa Cup of Nations(AFCON) recently  concluded in Cote d’Ivoire  where the  Super Eagles  came second  behind the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire.

But he  made a return to the  Foxes’ line  up in the 1-0 away win against Sunderland  on Tuesday  as he managed  20 minutes after coming on as a substitute  in what  was his first appearance since the end of December much to the delight of the club’s  travelling  fans.

Tuesday’s victory at Sunderland  cemented  Foxes’ place at the at the top of the English Championship standings with 81 points from 36 matches as Maresca hailed Leicester City’s ability to dig in and secure the three points.

“It’s an important win,” Maresca  noted  on the club’s website. “Especially after three defeats in a row. Sometimes you have to win games in an ugly way. [In the] first half we were quite good, in the second half we suffered, but in this moment, the win is so important.

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“The first half, especially the first half an hour, was unbelievable. We had many chances, we missed and we have struggled to score goals in these games. But at the end, it was important to win the game.”

The 44-year-old  manager  equally singled out  Ghana’s  Abdul Fatawu  as well as  Ndidi a for special mention  as he  praised the Nigerian return  to  the team’s line up  for the first time since the end of December. Abdul Fatawu, meanwhile, was praised for work both defensively and in attack.

 “[In the] first half he was very good on the ball, offensively,” the Italian said on Fatawu.

 “I’m very happy. We need him, Wilf (Ndidi) is so important to us so it’s good to have him back,” he added.

Wilfred Ndidi has been ruled out by a muscle injury for three months.

The 27-year-old midfielder has already been ruled out of the AFCON and since replaced by Alhassan Yusuf.

A three-month absence could see Ndidi miss 15 of Leicester’s remaining 20 league games this season.

“For Wilf (Ndidi), it will be a long time,” said Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca.

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“It could be three months. It looks like a muscle problem, but an important one so we now see in the next hours.”

In the last two years, Ndidi has suffered a series of long-term injuries.

Interestingly, his contract with the English Championship side will run out in June.