Bayer Leverkusen manager Kasper Hjulmand has hailed Nathan Tella’s impact at the club, highlighting his versatility as a key strength, SportPremi reports.
Tella returned to action in the 3-1 win over Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga last month, after missing more than two months of action with a knee injury.
He started the club’s first three league games of the season, but did not return until late November after recovering from a knee bruise.
The 26-year-old also missed the final rounds of the Super Eagles qualifying matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including the CAF playoff games against Gabon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The forward also played in Bayer Leverkusen’s shock 2-0 win over Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League and came on in the latter stages of last weekend’s defeat to Borussia Dortmund.
It marked his third appearance since his return from injury, as he continues his battle back to full fitness.
Tella was named in Eric Chelle’s 54-man provisional squad for Nigeria on Tuesday, ahead of the African Cup of Nations later this month and will be keen on making the final 28-man list.
Hjulmand hails Tella’s performance
Bayer Leverkusen clash against Borussia Dortmund for the second time in four days in the DFB-Pokal round of 16.
Both sides faced off last weekend in the Bundesliga, with the Yellow and Black taking maximum points in a 2-1 victory.
Tella featured in Saturday’s clash and could be in contention for a first start since September later tonight.
Speaking ahead of the crucial cup tie, the Danish manager expressed satisfaction at the return of the Nigerian superstar, who offers the team several options with his presence.
“Tella is completely ready. He’s not at 100 per cent, it’s not enough for 90 minutes, but it’s great that Nathan is back”, Hjulmand confirmed.
“He makes these runs behind the defence, and he is ready to play. He can play outside, but also a little further inside, like in Manchester, as a second striker. He knows what to do.”
On Borussia Dortmund
“Maybe we can do something surprise, but I don’t think so. We know everything about Dortmund, and Dortmund everything about us. It’s very difficult to do something special, but maybe …”, he continued.
“We actually had a lot of good phases in the game against Dortmund,” he says in retrospect, “and hopefully we learned a bit to play a little better in Dortmund. But we are ready for another top game against Dortmund.”
