AIK Confirm Injury, Misses Super Eagles Call-

Swedish club AIK have confirmed that Nigerian teenager Zadok Yohanna remains sidelined with injury and will miss their next two league matches, after the club blocked the 18-year-old from honouring his maiden Super Eagles call-up for the Unity Cup in London, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Yohanna was named in Eric Chelle’s 27-man squad for the tournament after catching the Nigeria coach’s eye with five goals and four assists in 12 appearances across all competitions for AIK this season, performances that have also attracted reported interest from Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, Chelsea and Real Madrid.

However, the club refused to release him following an injury sustained in AIK’s 4-2 defeat to Djurgarden on May 10, when he provided an assist in the first half before being withdrawn at half-time as a precaution. He also missed last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Vasteras.

AIK head coach Jose Riveiro confirmed Yohanna will not feature against Hammarby this weekend or against Sirius after that, with the club opting to protect the teenager through the spring break.

“Tough for Zadok. He was in good momentum and really enjoyed playing football for us. Everyone was so happy to see him perform, and it’s difficult for him to be out now,” Riveiro said.

AIK head of recruitment Miika Takkula said the decision was made in consultation with the medical team and that both Yohanna and the Nigeria Football Federation were disappointed by the outcome.

“He was very happy about the call-up, and of course, he was disappointed that he couldn’t go, but he also understood why. It’s too early for him to travel. We cannot take any risks, which is something we concluded together with the medical team,” Takkula said.

“All players would have been disappointed, and Nigeria were also disappointed because they had been looking forward to seeing him play for them, but they understood as well.”

With the summer transfer window approaching and European clubs monitoring his situation closely, there is growing speculation that Yohanna may have already played his final game for AIK before a move is completed next month.