Talented midfielder Mubarak Suleiman returned to action for Slavia Prague on Friday, October 9, 48 days after sustaining an injury during a league match against Bohemians Prague 1905.
The 19-year-old was among the young players named in the Super Eagles squad for the recent friendly against Russia.
However, he was unable to travel to Moscow, with the Nigeria Football Federation revealing that the Right2Win Sports Academy product withdrew from the squad because his residence permit had not been secured.
Even if the documentation had been in place, Slavia Prague would still have needed to approve his release to the Nigerian federation as Suleiman was not yet fully fit after spending more than a month on the sidelines.
Manager Jindřich Trpišovský handed the midfielder a starting role as Slavia Prague secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over FC Zlín, with Emmanuel Ayaosi scoring the decisive goal.
Ayaosi broke the deadlock in the 16th minute, heading home a cross from Lukáš Provod to give Slavia the lead.
Suleiman came close to doubling his side's advantage midway through the second half, but his effort from the edge of the penalty area narrowly missed the left post.
Having completed the match against FC Zlín without any apparent injury setback, the promising midfielder could now be in contention for his UEFA Champions League debut on Tuesday when Slavia Prague face Sabah.
Ifeanyi Emmanuel
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