Soccer
Zadok Yohanna reacts during the Allsvenskan football match between AIK and Halmstad. Copyright: JONATHANxNÄCKSTRANDxImago
Swedish club AIK have provided the latest update on the fitness of Nigerian youngster Zadok Yohanna ahead of Sunday’s clash against Hammarby, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 18-year-old has been making waves with his impressive performances for the 12-time Swedish champions and has emerged as one of their brightest sparks despite a slow start to the Allsvenskan season.
Yohanna has scored five goals and provided four assists in 12 appearances across all competitions this season and his performances have attracted interest from several top European clubs, including Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, Chelsea, and Real Madrid.
However, the teenager has been sidelined since suffering an injury during AIK’s 4-2 defeat to Djurgarden on May 10. Yohanna provided an assist in the first half before being he was forced off at halftime as a precaution.
He also missed last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Vasteras, which left AIK in 10th place in the league standings, although there had been hopes he would return in time to play against Hammarby this weekend.
Soccer Zadok Yohanna ruled out of Hammarby clash
Nigerian prospect Zadok Yohanna’s performances this season has also caught the attention of Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle, who handed the youngster his maiden Super Eagles invitation after naming him in the 27-man squad for next week’s Unity Cup tournament in London.
However, AIK blocked the winger from honouring the invitation, insisting he was still recovering from injury and remained too important to the squad at a crucial stage of the season.
Now, head coach José Riveiro has confirmed that the Super Eagles invitee has not fully recovered and will remain sidelined until the spring break, which would see him miss AIK’s next two league matches against Hammarby and Sirius.
“Tough for Zadok. He was in good momentum and really enjoyed playing football for us. Everyone was so happy to see him perform and it’s difficult for him to be out now”, Riveiro said, via Fotbolldirekt.
Meanwhile, AIK head of recruitment Miika Takkula also explained why the youngster was not allowed to travel for international duty with Nigeria.
The Finn revealed that both the player and the NFF were disappointed by the decision, but stressed it was necessary due to Yohanna’s ongoing recovery.
“He was very happy about the call-up and of course he was disappointed that he couldn’t go, but he also understood why. It’s too early for him to travel, we cannot take any risks, which is something we concluded together with the medical team”, Takkula said.
“All players would have been disappointed, and Nigeria were also disappointed because they had been looking forward to seeing him play for them, but they understood as well.”
Zadok Yohanna is now set to miss AIK’s next two league matches before the summer transfer window opens.
Meanwhile, speculation continues to grow over his future at the club and given the level of interest from several European giants, there are suggestions that the Nigerian youngster may have already played his final game for AIK ahead of a possible move next month.
Ayomide Oguntimehin
Ayomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and Chief Editor at Soccernet.ng. He has interviewed Super Eagles stars like William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Ademola Lookman, and is known for breaking major transfer stories.
Ayomide has worked with Sports Brief, Naija News and served as Social Lead Editor at Legit.ng. He has also featured on Goal, TVC News, Sports Mole, and Milan News24. He holds a Master’s degree and is currently pursuing a PhD. Follow Ayomide on X (formerly Twitter): @ayo_oguntimehin
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