Troost-Ekong resumes gym session, speaks on his injury

Super Eagles assistant captain Wiliam Troost-Ekong is stepping up his recovery from a surgery after he sustained a torn bicep femoris at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire.

After he returned to his club PAOK Salonica of Greece at the end of the 2023 AFCON, it was revealed that the former Watford defender would require surgery, considering how aggravated the injury had been.

The 30-year-old, who was said to have sustained the muscle injury during Nigeria’s 1-0 victory over hosts Ivory Coast, in their second Group A game, played all the games for the Eagles, except the one against the Djurtus of Equatorial Guinea.

In an interview with CNN World Sports, Troost-Ekong explained how he managed the injury.

‘I had a torn bicep femoris, which is basically the outside part of the hamstring. It happened during the tournament and I think I had a small tear initially in the second group stage game against Cote d’Ivoire.

‘I managed to play on and then after the final I had another MRI, and we realised it was really ruptured,’ he recounted.

‘It was very sore playing with it, and I couldn’t really train after the second group game. I was just trying ice to keep the swelling down.

‘I might do half an hour of training the day before each game, and then during the game a combination of painkillers and adrenaline means you can get through it. The day after each game it was definitely showing as I was struggling to walk.’