Super Eagles' Ndidi boosts Leicester and Nigeria with return after two-month injury

Wilfred Ndidi made his long-awaited return from injury as a second-half substitute in Leicester City's 1-0 win at Sunderland on Tuesday night.

Pulse Sports Nigeria reports that the Nigerian midfielder had been sidelined for over two months with a muscle problem, last featuring for the Foxes on December 29, 2023.

Ndidi's lay-off also forced him to miss Nigeria's impressive run to the Africa Cup of Nations final, where host nation Ivory Coast beat them 2-1 to win the title.

But the 27-year-old is now back to bolster Leicester's push for an immediate Premier League return as well as the Super Eagles' midfield.

Ndidi replaced Yunus Akgun after 72 minutes at the Stadium of Light as Leicester ground out a 1-0 victory thanks to Jamie Vardy's first-half strike.

It was Ndidi's first appearance since the turn of the year and will come as a major boost to manager Enzo Maresca.

The Italian had bemoaned Ndidi's absence, highlighting his importance to the heart of Leicester's midfield per a Pulse Sports report.

His return is also timely for Nigeria, with key qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup on the horizon over the next few months.

Prior to his injury, Ndidi had scored two goals and provided five assists in 21 appearances across all competitions for Leicester this season.

He will hopefully quickly rediscover that form to aid the Foxes' promotion push and cement his place in the Super Eagles team.

Both club and country have sorely missed the midfield enforcer's energy, bite and quality in the engine room during his two-month spell on the sidelines.

His return coincided with the Foxes returning to winning ways after a shock 2-1 defeat to QPR at the weekend at the King Power.