Chelsea manager promotes Super Falcons-eligible midfielder to first team training pre-Ajax 

Super Falcons-eligible midfielder Ashanti Akpan was involved in Chelsea's final training session on Tuesday, on the eve of their UEFA Women's Champions League clash against Ajax Amsterdam, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.

Chelsea's iconic manager Emma Hayes promoted the England U19 international to first team training with the aim of potentially including her in the matchday squad for Wednesday's encounter at Stamford Bridge.

There is a possibility that Hayes will rest a couple of players, given that the Blues registered a big 3-0 win in the first leg and also with an eye on Sunday's League Cup final against Arsenal. 

Akpan is eligible to play in the Champions League as she has been registered on Chelsea's List B having played for the Londoners for approximately eleven years. 

If she is handed her Champions League debut by the United States-bound coach, she will don the number 36 on the back of her jersey.

Born in Warsaw to a Polish mother and Nigerian father, the promising English-Polish-Nigerian youngster has yet to be summoned to the first team since her senior debut against Reading in the quarterfinal of the Women’s FA Cup back in March 2023.

Last season, she was a unused substitute in Chelsea's 2-0 win versus Real Madrid in the group stage of the Champions League. 

The 18-year-old signed a new contract with Chelsea last December, a deal that will keep her at the club until the end of the 2024-2025 season, with the option to extend by a further year. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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