Chris Davies Hails Osayi-Samuel After AFCON Bronze As Birmingham City Receive Fitness Boost

Birmingham City manager, Chris Davies, has praised Super Eagles full-back, Bright Osayi-Samuel, following his impressive outing at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

Osayi-Samuel was a key figure as Nigeria claimed the bronze medal, edging past Egypt 4-2 on penalties in the third-place play-off after regulation time ended level.

The 28-year-old was one of Nigeria’s standout performers throughout the tournament, combining defensive discipline with attacking drive to help the Super Eagles emerge as one of the competition’s most aggressive sides.

Speaking during his pre-match press conference, Davies commended both the player and the Nigerian national team for their showing on the continental stage, even though they fell short of lifting the trophy.

“He’s back, which is good news, and I congratulated him on his performances and Nigeria for making it to the tournament,” Davies told reporters.

“Although they didn’t win the competition, they made the country proud, and Bright really enjoyed being part of that, so we’re happy to have him back.”

There had been concerns over Osayi-Samuel’s fitness after he was forced off during the second half of the third-place match against Egypt with a hamstring issue. His early withdrawal sparked doubts about his availability for Birmingham City’s upcoming Championship fixture at St Andrew’s Stadium.

However, Davies moved quickly to ease those fears, confirming that the club’s medical team has given the Nigerian international the all-clear ahead of Saturday’s clash with Stoke City.

“He is available. There was a little issue, but we’ve had him checked out and he’s trained today, so he’s okay,” the Blues boss added.

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