I hope to be back soon – Nigeria star Nathan Tella opens up on injury recovery

Nigeria international Nathan Tella has revealed progress in his recovery from injury and hopes for a return to action as soon as possible.

Tella, who plies his trade for Bayer Leverkusen has been out of action for close to two months following a knee injury setback in mid-September.

The attacker picked up the injury setback in the Bundesliga clash against Eintracht Frankfurt in the 82nd minute mark and has since not featured.

Since picking up the injury, Tella has missed 12 consecutive games and remained unavailable for Nigeria’s national team.

Speaking to Bild (via Werkself Xtra), Tella explained that while he is not yet fully back in training, he is close to a return.

“I’m not completely back with the team yet, but I have more confidence in my leg than I did the last time out… I feel like I’m on the right track. I’m no longer in pain… I hope to be back soon and then stay with the team”

“It was strange. I felt my knee and it was quite painful. But I wasn’t too worried… It was probably something more serious than just a knock to the knee. Together with the doctors and coaches, we decided not to rush anything until I was at 100 percent”

Tella revealed that he previously tore his cruciate ligament six years ago, adding, “Now it’s a ten-week break – compared to ten months, that’s nothing. I wanted to stay positive.”

As Leverkusen continues to thrive under Kasper Hjulmand, the 26-year-old hopes to regain full fitness soon and push for a return to both club action and Nigeria’s squad ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.