Brentford hero and retired Nigeria international Sam Sodje has insisted that injured central defender Benjamin Fredrick would have played a pivotal role for the Super Eagles at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Bees loanee sustained a training-ground injury shortly after returning to Belgium, having featured for Nigeria in the African playoffs of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

His setback is expected to rule him out until after the tournament in Morocco, meaning he is no longer under consideration by Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle and will consequently miss out on the provisional Afcon squad.

The youngest player currently in the national team set-up, Fredrick has gone the distance in each of the Super Eagles’ last six competitive fixtures.

He earned widespread praise for his commanding display in Nigeria’s 4-1 victory over Gabon earlier this month, notably keeping former Arsenal and Barcelona forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang quiet throughout the contest.

Sodje lamented the timing of the setback, insisting that Fredrick’s growing influence and ability to feature across multiple positions make his absence a significant blow to the national team’s preparations.