The Flying Eagles of Nigeria have concluded their 12-day training camp in Santiago ahead of the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup, with the team now set to continue preparations in Talca City, southern Chile.
The final training session took place on Wednesday evening at the Cancha training pitch between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time (9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Nigerian time), with 19 players participating under the guidance of Head Coach Aliyu Zubairu and his technical crew.
The squad will depart for Talca on Thursday morning as focus shifts to the final phase of preparation before the global tournament kicks off in the coming weeks.
This was disclosed in a statement by the Media Officer, Flying Eagles, Sharif Abdallah, on Thursday, September 25.
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According to the statement, the camp ended on a disappointing note following confirmation that central defender Marvellous Freedom has been ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury sustained during training.
Medical assessments revealed that the injury would not heal in time for him to compete.
Freedom received an emotional farewell from teammates and coaching staff, who presented him with a signed No. 20 jersey during a brief send-off ceremony.
He is scheduled to return to Nigeria on Thursday.
In response to the setback, Coach Zubairu has called up Haruna Aliyu, a defender from Nigeria Premier Football League side Wikki Tourists, as a replacement. Aliyu is expected to arrive in Chile by Friday morning and will link up with the squad in Talca.
With confidence high and preparations entering the final stretch, the Flying Eagles are targeting a strong performance at the U-20 World Cup as they seek to build on Nigeria’s rich history at the youth level.
