Leicester boss Steve Cooper has confirmed Wilfred Ndidi has suffered no ill-effects after his ordeal in Libya earlier this week while on international duty with Nigeria.
Nigeria’s squad were left stranded overnight at an airport in Al Abraq for more than 15 hours before their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier was called off.
It has been reported that the Super Eagles’ players and staff were left without food, water and phone connection for half a day before flying back to Nigeria on Monday night.
Cooper said: “He’s fine. He’s back with us, safe and well. We were in close contact with him throughout the situation they found themselves in. He kept us updated.
“There were Wi-Fi issues so it wasn’t as often as we would have liked. He was back with us soon after and has trained. He’s in a safe place and that includes the mental side of it too.
“He trained really well yesterday which was pleasing to see. Maybe he needed that release. He’s fine. We’ve checked with him in every way we can. He’ll be ready like everybody else.”
Leicester are bidding for back-to-back Premier League wins at Southampton on Saturday after securing three points for the first time this season against Bournemouth before the international break.
That first league win in seven matches since winning promotion lifted the Foxes up to 15th in the table, three points above the relegation zone, and Cooper is keen to build momentum.
“That’s the exciting opportunity we have. It’s the recognition of the work we put in against Bournemouth,” he said.
“We’ve not been narrow-minded enough over the results to ignore that we’ve done good stuff in every game. We want to build on all of those things. We’re really excited about that.
“It is Southampton and it’s a game we’re ready for. It’s a chance to get back-to-back wins and create more positivity.”
Coper said he was still waiting for “a few” players to return from international duty, but has no new injury problems.
Hamza Choudhury, who dislocated a shoulder in training earlier this month, Patson Daka (ankle surgery) and Jakub Stolarczyk (foot) are all still out.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk