West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberan has expressed relief following Semi Ajayi’s return from international duty with Nigeria.
The 30-year-old defender featured in all nine of the Baggies’ EFL Championship matches this season but only managed four minutes during the Super Eagles‘ recent international break.
Ajayi was involved in Nigeria’s 1-0 victory over Libya but faced an unusual delay, with the team stranded at a Libyan airport for over 13 hours without basic amenities.
Despite the circumstances, Corberan confirmed that West Brom maintained contact with Ajayi throughout, ensuring his safe return.
“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.”
“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,” the coach said.
Semi Ajayi’s recovery on track after unusual international break incident
The coach emphasised their focus on helping the player recover and prepare for upcoming fixtures, particularly Saturday’s match against Oxford United.
“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 added.
