Tolu Arokodare has admitted he is still not fully recovered from illness ahead of his return to the Super Eagles squad for Nigeria’s upcoming 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
The 25-year-old missed Ajax’s previous match after suffering a severe fever but returned from the bench against Excelsior on Saturday. He came on in the 62nd minute and scored two minutes later to help Ajax draw 2-2.
Despite making an immediate impact, Arokodare revealed that he was still struggling physically during the match.
“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, as per AjaxLife.
“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. I was dead after five or six minutes into the match.”
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Arokodare has been included in Eric Chelle’s 24-man Nigeria squad for the upcoming qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau. Nigeria will face Madagascar in Uyo on September 25 before travelling to play Guinea-Bissau four days later.
With Victor Osimhen unavailable because of injury, Arokodare is among the forwards competing for a role in the Super Eagles attack alongside Taiwo Awoniyi and Akor Adams.
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The Ajax forward has scored six goals and provided two assists in nine appearances across all competitions since joining the Dutch club on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Arokodare will now hope to use the international break to regain full fitness.
“I am happy that I was able to come on, though. Hopefully, I will recover fully during the international break,” he said.
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