Speaking at a press conference on Friday ahead of Bayer Leverkusen's Bundesliga fixture against Cologne, head coach Kasper Hjulmand addressed Nathan Tella's omission from Nigeria's 28-man squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Just hours before the Nigeria Football Federation confirmed the official squad list, Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes had indicated that the former Southampton winger was expected to be included in the travelling party to Morocco.

However, Super Eagles manager Eric Chelle decided against selecting Tella, who is not yet in tiptop condition, having recently returned from a long-term injury three weeks ago.

Bayer Leverkusen are set to release four players for the upcoming tournament, which runs from 21 December to 18 January. 

In addition to key figures Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso) and Ibrahim Maza (Algeria), the club will also be without Christian Kofane (Cameroon) and Morocco’s Eliesse Ben Seghir.

Hjulmand acknowledged that Leverkusen would benefit from retaining Tella during the Afcon, but admitted that the decision represents a personal disappointment for the player.

Quoted by the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit, he said: "This is good for Leverkusen, of course. But Nathan had hopes, real hopes".

Formerly eligible to represent England, Tella became cap-tied to Nigeria after featuring in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match against Zimbabwe in November 2023.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel