Birmingham City head coach Chris Davies says Bright Osayi-Samuel is fit and available ahead of the Championship meeting with West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns.
Davies did not explain why the adaptable defender cut short his Nigeria assignment, but confirmed he had returned to Birmingham in sound condition.
Quick facts
- Bright Osayi-Samuel came back from Nigeria duty before the end of the international window.
- He had been selected for AFCON 2027 qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, plus a friendly with Russia.
- The right-sided defender withdrew from the squad set to travel to Moscow.
- He featured in Nigeria’s 2-1 victory over Madagascar and played the full match against Guinea-Bissau.
- Paik Seung-ho is the only Birmingham player expected to miss matches after aggravating an existing issue.
Osayi-Samuel had been included in the Super Eagles’ final group for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, along with the recent Russia friendly.
But the former Fenerbahce player did not make the travelling party for the game in Moscow.
He was one of several internationals to report back to Birmingham before Liam Millar, who returned to training on Thursday.
Davies said August, James and Osayi-Samuel had all arrived back earlier than Millar, while stressing that the group had emerged from the break in positive shape.
“Everyone is good,” Davies said. “We had August, James and Bright back slightly ahead of Liam, who returned today, but they are all in good condition.”
He added: “Paik has taken a small knock that he has been managing for a while. He is the only one who looks likely to be out for a few matches, while everybody else appears to be fine.”
Osayi-Samuel came on for the final three minutes as Nigeria beat Madagascar 2-1. He then completed the full 90 minutes in the Super Eagles’ loss to Guinea-Bissau.
