Birmingham City’s manager, Chris Davies, has praised Bright Osayi-Samuel, who plays as a fullback for the Super Eagles.
He hailed the player for his performance during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Osayi-Samuel was very important as Nigeria won the bronze medal by beating Egypt 4-2 in the third-place match on penalties.
The former Fenerbahçe player played well on defense and also helped attack, making the Super Eagles one of the most aggressive teams in the tournament.
During his pre-match press conference, Davies praised Osayi-Samuel’s performances for Nigeria, saying he performed well even though the Super Eagles sadly missed out on the Afcon title.
Davies told reporters, “He’s back, which is good news, and I congratulated him on his performances and Nigeria for making it to the tournament.
“Although they didn’t win the competition, they made the country proud, and Bright really enjoyed being part of that, so we’re happy to have him back.”
Osayi-Samuel was taken out of the third-place match against Egypt after he hurt his hamstring in the second half.
This made people wonder if he would be prepared for the game at St. Andrew’s Stadium.
The Blues manager shared an update on his fitness, saying the Nigerian player has been checked by the club’s doctors and is ready to play against Stoke City.
“He is available. There was a little issue, but we’ve had him checked out and he’s trained today, so he’s okay,” Davies added.
Osayi-Samuel, 28, has been part of the club’s last nine games and is eager to keep up his good performance against Stoke City on Saturday.