West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan is pleased to welcome back Nigerian defender Semi Ajayi after his international duties with the Super Eagles.

Ajayi, 30, has been a constant presence in all nine of the Baggies’ EFL Championship games this season, but saw limited action during Super Eagles recent AFCON qualifier against Libya, Footballrover reports.

The 30-year-old defender was only given four minutes of playing time in Nigeria’s 1-0 win against Libya in Uyo.

However, the return leg was marred by an unfortunate travel delay, as the Super Eagles were stranded at a Libyan airport for over 13 hours without food or internet access.

Coach delighted with Ajayi’s safe return amid travel woes

Corberan, speaking to Express and Star, shared that West Brom maintained close contact with the former Arsenal defender during the ordeal to ensure his wellbeing.

“The club was in contact. It was not easy; we had to adapt to the situation. It is true that he didn’t have the minutes that normally he usually gets when travelling, but at the same time he was having minutes before he went,” the coach said.

The coach described the situation as unusual, but reassured that the defender is recovering well and ready to rejoin the team.

“It has been a strange situation, but something that is totally out of our control. What we can do is to adapt and find the best way to help him to recover and make him ready for the game. That is what we can control,” he added.

West Brom face Oxford United on Saturday, where a win could propel them to the top of the EFL Championship table.

“I think it is enough, Thursday and Friday, because it is not the first time I have done this with the players. It’s different preparation. You would like to have the players always during the week, but when they go with their national team always, they have these challenges, and we need to adapt to them. There is a reason why the players go with their national team because they are good players in their country, and this is an important thing too. Semi didn’t play, but he was playing minutes in a row (for us), so probably this small rest is not going to be negative for him,” Carlos Corberan concluded.

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Last Updated on October 17, 2024 10:05 am by footballrover