'I felt a little pain' - Zadok plays down fitness concerns ahead of Nigeria's Unity Cup squad announcement

AIK's teenage sensation Zadok Yohanna has offered a reassuring fitness update ahead of Nigeria's squad announcement for the 2026 Unity Cup at the Valley in London.

There have been suggestions in the local media that the exciting winger could be in line for his first call-up to the Super Eagles this month, although both the player and AIK sporting director Miika Takkula have clarified that no contact has yet been made by the Nigeria Football Federation.

In his latest outing for AIK in the Swedish Allsvenskan, Zadok was substituted at the end of the first half against Djurgårdens IF after suffering a knock.

The 18-year-old was assessed by the medical staff, and a decision was taken to substitute him at half-time as a precaution to prevent the injury from worsening.

Providing a fitness update, Zadok insisted that he is not worried about the injury.

He told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet: "I felt a little pain, but it's not a serious injury. They took me off because they didn't want to risk anything."

When asked whether he wanted to continue playing, Zadok replied: "Yes, if they had allowed it, I would have obviously wanted to continue playing, but they said no. They didn't want to make the situation worse."

Zadok has enjoyed an impressive start to the season, registering two goals and three assists in seven league appearances.

If included in Nigeria's squad and granted permission to travel to London for the Unity Cup, he could miss league matches against Hammarby and IK Sirius.