Werder Bremen defender Felix Agu has been widely tipped as one of the players included in Eric Chelle’s final 28-man squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The German-born full-back switched his international allegiance to Nigeria earlier this year and earned his first call-up in June for the Unity Cup. Agu impressed during the tournament and appeared to make a strong impact on head coach Eric Chelle.
The 26-year-old was subsequently named in the Super Eagles squad for September’s World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and South Africa, though he remained on the bench for both matches.
Agu was expected to receive another call-up in October, but he sustained an injury during Werder Bremen’s Bundesliga clash with St. Pauli. The setback required surgery, and the club initially confirmed he would be out for at least three months.
Despite this, he was still included in Nigeria’s provisional 55-man list for the 2025 AFCON. Soccernet.ng, however, listed him among the players unlikely to make the final squad.
On Wednesday, fresh reports emerged claiming Agu would be named in Chelle’s final selection. A video also circulated online of Victor Boniface wishing his compatriot well ahead of the tournament.
Super Eagles: Is Felix Agu Realistically an Option for AFCON 2025?
Soccernet.ng previously reported that Agu’s chances of making the final AFCON squad were extremely slim — a position that remains unchanged.
Werder Bremen released updates from their training session on Wednesday, confirming that Agu is still in rehabilitation and has not yet resumed any form of training.
In the video shared by Victor Boniface, a physiotherapist is visibly working on Agu’s leg, and the defender is seen wearing a brace on his injured left ankle.
Ordinarily, a player recovering from such an injury must complete physiotherapy and gym routines before progressing to individual pitch work. Only after these stages can they rejoin full training. This process can take weeks — if not months — before a player is ready for competitive action.
Agu, however, is still at the physiotherapy stage and has not even begun individual sessions. With the AFCON just ten days away, selecting him would mean taking an unfit player to a major tournament. This is particularly notable given the availability of fully fit left-backs such as Zaidu Sanusi and Bruno Onyemaechi.
Even if Agu travels with the team, he would almost certainly be unavailable for the first phase of matches and would not reach full fitness during the early rounds.
Chelle is expected to unveil his final squad shortly. It remains to be seen whether he will risk selecting an unfit player when suitable alternatives are ready — unless, of course, the Super Eagles’ medical staff can somehow accelerate Agu’s recovery in time.
