Super Eagles news: Hamburg coach reveals Moffi’s next step after injury layoff

Hamburg head coach Merlin Polzin has provided an update on the fitness of Super Eagles striker Terem Moffi ahead of their crucial Bundesliga clash against Hoffenheim on Saturday.

Die Rothosen head into the game hoping to record only their second league win of the season after a slow start to the campaign. 

Hamburg have managed just one win in their opening four league matches and will be eager to get their season back on track. Their only Bundesliga win of the season so far came in their last league outing, when they defeated FC Köln 2-1, with Moffi also getting a few minutes in that clash.

The 27-year-old’s fitness has been a concern for the German club since his arrival earlier in the summer from French side Nice. 

The Super Eagles forward joined the club in a deal worth around €2.5 million as he hoped to start afresh after his relationship with the Ligue 1 club turned sour following an initially promising spell.

Terem Moffi returns to training ahead of Hoffenheim clash

The Super Eagles forward missed a friendly against Copenhagen during the international break because of an injury, raising doubts about his availability for Hamburg’s next league fixture.

However, Moffi has now returned to training ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Hoffenheim, giving the Bundesliga side a major boost as they prepare for the must-win encounter.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Polzin confirmed that Moffi and his fellow striker Yussuf Poulsen, who were injury doubts, had both resumed full training and could be included in the squad for the weekend game.

“Both have trained fully with the team today, will train fully tomorrow and are definitely options for the squad”, the Hamburg coach said, via Kicker.

Super Eagles star targets goalscoring outing for Hamburg

Moffi joined Hamburg from Nice earlier in the summer, hoping to put his difficult spell in France behind him and get his career moving in the right direction again.

However, the Super Eagles forward is yet to find the back of the net for his new club and will be keen to change that as soon as possible. 

Moffi missed preseason after joining the club close to the start of the new season and fitness problems have also disrupted his progress in recent months. His return to training therefore comes at an important time especially with Hamburg battling with a tough start to the season.

The 27-year-old also missed Nigeria’s recent AFCON 2027 qualifying fixtures, limiting his opportunities to get valuable minutes on the pitch during the international break. 

He had featured for the Super Eagles at the Unity Cup earlier in the year, but his recent fitness issues have prevented him from maintaining a regular run of action.

Moffi will now be hoping to get game time in this weekend clash and gradually work his way back to full match fitness as the season progresses.