Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has dism!ssed speculation surrounding his absence from Nigeria's upcoming international friendlies against Poland and Portugal, clarifying comments made by national team coach Éric Chelle.
The controversy began after Chelle suggested that Osimhen and fellow forward Ademola Lookman would miss the June 2026 friendlies. The coach reportedly indicated that Osimhen might be focused on resolving his club future and preferred to stay away from international duty rather than play without being fully prepared.
The remarks quickly sparked transfer speculation and crit!cism from some fans, with many interpreting them as an indication that the striker was prior!tizing a potential club move over representing Nigeria.
However, Osimhen moved swiftly to address the situation, revealing that he had spoken directly with Chelle about the comments.
In a statement, the galatasary-owned striker explained that the coach's words had been misund£rstood and taken out of context.
"I just got off the phone with Coach Eric Chelle regarding the comments about me in his recent interview. Unfortunately, his comments were misund£rstood and taken out of context," Osimhen said.
The forward added that Chelle has great respect for his club, Galatasaray, and never intended to create controversy with his remarks.
Osimhen stressed that there is no disagr££ment between him and the Super Eagles coach, reaffirming his commitment to representing Nigeria whenever called upon.
"I remain proud to represent my country whenever called upon. I look forward to continuing to work with him. He is an excellent coach whom I respect greatly, and I kindly ask everyone to ignore the specvlation surrounding this situation," he added.
The clarification is expected to put an end to rumors surrounding Osimhen's relationship with the national team coaching staff as Nigeria continues preparations for the friendly matches against Poland and Portugal later this month.
Osimhen enjoyed an impressive season with Galatasaray and remains one of Nigeria's most influential players heading into future international competitions.
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