West Brom boss offers encouraging update on fitness of Super Eagles CB Semi Ajayi ahead of WCQ

Speaking at the pre-match press conference before his side's Championship clash against Hull City at The Hawthorns, West Brom manager Carlos Corberán provided a positive fitness update on Semi Ajayi. 

Nigeria manager Jose Peseiro had been sweating on the fitness of Ajayi ahead of his squad announcement for the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Lesotho and Zimbabwe, but Corberán brought good news this morning regarding the fitness of the central defender. 

Ajayi has not been included in the Baggies last two matchday squads after suffering a relapse of an ankle injury, which kept him out of the starting lineup in three consecutive matches before the international break in October. 

The former Arsenal youth team skipper and Ecuador international Jeremy Sarmiento have resumed contact training with the rest of the group, and both are in contention to be involved in the matchday squad on Saturday, should they get through Friday's workout without issue.

In quotes relayed by the official website of West Brom, Corberán said: "Jeremy Sarmiento and Semi Ajayi are two players who, if they complete the training session on Friday, can be part of the matchday squad on Saturday.

"They both trained on Thursday with the group and they came through that fine.

"It’s always really positive to add players back to your squad when you have been missing plenty of them in recent weeks.

"With Semi, we have one more option at centre-back and he was playing in the first XI at the start of the season."

These days, Ajayi is the Super Eagles first choice central defender, having started eight of the twelve matches played by the national team since the appointment of Jose Peseiro as coach. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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