Yohanna back in Brighton training before City
Nigerian winger Zadok Yohanna is back in Brighton & Hove Albion training after missing 11 consecutive matches, manager Fabian Hürzeler said at his news conference on Thursday 29 October, ahead of Manchester City v Brighton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday 31 October at 16:00 WAT.
By Emily · · Updated
Hürzeler gave the update while previewing the trip to Manchester, as reported by Premium Times and Pulse Sports Nigeria. "Regarding the other players who have been out for a long time, Zadok Yohanna is back on the training pitch, also Stefanos Tzimas after his ACL, so plenty of positives," Hürzeler told reporters. Both outlets note that he stopped short of saying whether Yohanna would be in the squad to face Enzo Maresca's side.
What has Yohanna missed?
According to Premium Times, the 19-year-old has not played a Premier League game for Brighton since the opening weekend of the season. His last outing was in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers against Tromsø of Norway, which left him on three Brighton appearances in total. The 11-match absence that followed also cost him Nigeria's two 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.
Brighton signed Yohanna from AIK in Sweden for a fee reported at €28 million, the fee behind AIK’s record sale, Premium Times reported. Pulse Sports Nigeria added that Hürzeler gave no new information on Femi Azeez, the other Nigerian winger in his squad, who joined on transfer deadline day and has yet to make a competitive debut.
When is Man City v Brighton?
The BBC Sport news conference report, published on 29 October, lists the game at the Etihad Stadium with kick-off at 15:00 GMT on Saturday. In Nigeria that is 16:00 WAT on 31 October. BBC Sport's key lines also say Chema Andrés and Ferdi Kadıoğlu are expected back in the matchday squad after hip problems kept them out of the Carabao Cup defeat at City, while Pascal Struijk is still out but training with the under-21s.
Hürzeler said at his news conference, BBC Sport reported, that "success is the only revenge" for that cup loss and that his team "have to be fearless". He said selection would depend on who is "mentally and physically refreshed", which is a fair reading of why a player only just back in training was not promised a place.
TuSport desk view
Three points stand out for Nigerian readers. First, the gap: Yohanna has three Brighton appearances and 11 straight absences, so the step he has taken is training, not selection. Hürzeler grouped him with Stefanos Tzimas, who is coming back from an ACL injury, under "players who have been out for a long time". That is a recovery update, not a team-news call, and we will not list Yohanna as available until Brighton name a matchday squad on Saturday.
Second, the national-team cost is already counted. The same fitness problem kept him out of the Super Eagles' qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, at a time when Nigeria's squad depth is under open debate, as in our report on Sunday Oliseh saying Super Eagles players are not good enough. Club minutes between now and the next international window decide whether he is a real option again.
Third, the fee. A reported €28 million for a teenager with three outings explains why one line in a news conference made Nigerian headlines on 30 October. Azeez's lack of a debut means both Nigerian wingers Brighton signed this season are still waiting for a run of games.
His numbers, side by side
Brighton agreed a £21.5m deal with AIK Stockholm on 6 June, BBC Sport reported, when the 18-year-old had five goals and four assists in 18 appearances for AIK since his debut in August 2025. By our count that is nine goal involvements, or one every two games. Since the move he has three Brighton appearances, and the 11-match absence has taken most of his autumn.
It is not the first time this year that fitness has affected his availability. On 21 May, Premium Times reported that AIK did not release him for Nigeria's Unity Cup squad in London, played from 26 May to 30 May, saying he was "in an important final stage of his rehabilitation" and also an important player for the club. Fitness was a factor in his missing the Unity Cup.
In June Hürzeler said Yohanna "will need time to adapt to the club and Premier League". Five months on, he has had less of that time than anyone planned. The realistic target is steady minutes after the Etihad, not a start in it.
We checked the training quote word for word in both Premium Times and Pulse Sports Nigeria, and took the venue and 15:00 GMT kick-off from BBC Sport, converted to WAT. None of the three sources says Yohanna will play on Saturday, so neither do we.
Why it matters
Yohanna missed Nigeria's qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau with this injury, so regular club minutes are the first step back into Nigeria's plans. A confirmed return to training before the Etihad trip is the first good fitness news since his last appearance against Tromsø. For more Premier League team news, see our Bournemouth v Leeds team news, and for the Nigeria–City thread on the women's side, our Rasheedat Ajibade UWCL report.
Sources: Premium Times Nigeria — Zadok Yohanna returns to Brighton training ahead of Manchester City clash · Pulse Sports Nigeria — Nigerian youngster ready for giant-killing mission against Man City · BBC Sport — Fabian Hurzeler press conference: Man City vs Brighton · BBC Sport — Brighton agree £21.5m deal for winger Yohanna · Premium Times Nigeria — Nigerian winger Zadok Yohanna blocked from Super Eagles’ Unity Cup squad
