Rangers International defender Ifeanyi Onyebuchi has told www.aclsports.com that he is pleased to be back after his successful return to competitive action from a long injury layoff.
Onyebuchi, 25, played 45 minutes in a Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Match Day 24 tie against Kano Pillars in Enugu, his first competitive appearance of the 2025/26 season.
The big defender has been out due to a knee problem before the start of this campaign, but was pleased to make a return to the squad for the remainder of the season.
“The recovery was not easy for me due to the long-term injury; mentally, I was down, but I had to push myself. I am fine now and keep on going with the season still on,” said Onyebuchi to www.aclsports.com.
Onyebuchi, who was part of the CHAN team that sealed Nigeria’s qualification to the tournament, picked up a nasty knee injury in Rangers’ league game against Bendel Insurance last April. Although he was in the squad for the tournament, the injury ruled him out of contention, and he was not happy about it.
”I picked up the injury last April when we played Insurance. I was not happy that my name was on the list, and I could not go to the tournament. Because I played in the qualifiers, and we qualified along with other guys to the main tournament. It was a platform to showcase myself so that all Nigerians and people across the world could see me.”
Second-placed Rangers International will be guests of Kwara United in Lagos on Sunday, and Onyebuchi believes the Flying Antelopes can secure a positive result.
“The season is still on, and anybody can win the league. We have nine games to play, and we are positive and focused on winning our matches. The game against Kwara United is like a final for us. I believe we will have a positive result on Sunday. We will go all out for it,” Onyebuchi concluded.
