Blackburn coach shares details on Alebiosu's illness

Blackburn Rovers coach Tony Mowbray has talked about the illness that forced Super Eagles defender Ryan Alebiosu to leave the field at half-time during the club’s Championship match against Millwall at Ewood Park on Saturday. The Nigerian player had been dealing with this issue since earlier in the week, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.

Alebiosu had a solid first half for Rovers before he was substituted at the break for deadline-day signing Gady Beyuku. His early exit adds to the growing list of Super Eagles injury worries ahead of Nigeria’s first 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau later this month.

The defender, who was born in London, was a key choice for Mowbray. The coach had spoken highly of him and just days before the match, he insisted Alebiosu would stay in his main right-back position instead of moving to the right wing to make room for Beyuku.

Mowbray's confidence in Alebiosu remained after the substitution against Millwall. He gave a hopeful update on the Nigerian’s condition after the match. Speaking on BBC Radio Lancashire, and quoted by the Lancashire Telegraph, Mowbray said Alebiosu’s absence in the second half was due to illness, not a new injury.

“Ryan is more illness than injury. The defender had complained about the issue earlier in the week, which could be tonsillitis,” Mowbray explained. He added that Alebiosu had been feeling discomfort for several days leading up to the match and had spent recent training sessions focused on recovery instead of regular practice.

“It is the physicality of the games over the last week that has caught him out. I am not one hundred per cent sure, but he was in the physio room, who came to see me,” Mowbray mentioned.

This news comes at a tough time for Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle. His squad for the September qualifiers is already facing a long list of injuries. The tonsillitis diagnosis will likely not change Chelle’s plans for selecting players, as this illness usually clears up in a few days rather than weeks. Still, Alebiosu must recover fully before he can join the Super Eagles camp for either match.

If Alebiosu cannot play, Chelle will focus on other right-back options for the qualifiers, including Nottingham Forest’s Ola Aina, Birmingham City’s Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Banik Ostrava’s Abdullahi Bewene.

Nigeria will kick off their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign against Madagascar in Uyo on September 25, before heading to face Guinea-Bissau four days later.