West Bromwich Albion’s manager, Carlos Corberán, has practically ruled out Semi Ajayi’s return from injury for their Championship match against Coventry City on Monday at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
Ajayi, the Nigerian international, was absent from the matchday squad during their recent 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers due to a recurrence of an ankle injury. This injury had previously kept him out of the starting lineup for three consecutive matches before the international break.
During the pre-match press conference, Corberán acknowledged that Ajayi’s participation in the Coventry game is highly uncertain, and no specific timeline for his absence has been determined. Corberán was quoted by Express and Star as saying, “Semi keeps struggling with the injury, and other players are also dealing with their own injury issues, so it’s crucial not to lose any more players.”
Corberán, the Spanish football strategist, further explained, “I am in a similar situation as everyone else, hoping for a ‘miracle’ that Ajayi will be fit. It’s a challenge. He has sustained a grade two ligament injury in the ankle, which is a different type of injury, and we need to monitor his progress. He’s doing his best, but he remains a significant question mark for the upcoming game.”
The Nigeria Football Federation and manager Jose Peseiro will be closely monitoring Ajayi’s fitness situation, as the central defender could potentially be called up for two crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Zimbabwe in November. Earlier this month, Ajayi participated in a training camp in Portugal and featured in a friendly match against Saudi Arabia.
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