Boost for Eric Chelle as Ndidi returns to action ahead of Super Eagles squad announcement

Wilfred Ndidi returned to action on Wednesday evening as Besiktas thrashed Kayserispor 4-0 in a rescheduled Turkish Super Lig clash held at the RHG Enerturk Enerji Stadyumu.

The Nigeria international had been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury in the second half of the Super Eagles' 1-1 draw with South Africa in a World Cup qualifier in Bloemfontein.

His absence forced him to miss consecutive league fixtures against Istanbul Basaksehir and Goztepe.

Back in the starting XI, the former Leicester City midfielder featured for 66 minutes before being replaced by Kartal Yılmaz.

His involvement is a major boost for Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle, who is set to name his squad next week for October's World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin.

Ndidi is expected to be included in the final squad, provided there is no recurrence of the injury.

Ndidi was eligible to play on Wednesday as he had completed his transfer to Besiktas before the fixture's original date in August.

His return came at a crucial moment, with the Black Eagles missing eight first team players, including Vaclav Cerny, Gokhan Sazdagi, Cengiz Under, Tiago Djalo, Rıdvan Yılmaz, El Bilal Toure, Jota Silva and Taylan Bulut

While Ndidi's comeback was the headline for Nigerian fans, it was Rafa Silva who stole the show in Kayseri.

The Portuguese forward scored the first hat-trick of his professional career at the age of 32 to seal a convincing win for Besiktas.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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