What's happened to Blackburn's Alebiosu since his AFCON injury with Nigeria?

Blackburn Rovers defender Ryan Alebiosu says making his international debut for Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations was one of the proudest moments of his life, despite picking up a tournament-ending injury in Morocco.

London-born Alebiosu, 24, earned his first senior cap for the Super Eagles in Nigeria's final group-stage win over Uganda on December 30, playing the full 90 minutes before being ruled out of the remainder of the tournament with a deep cut to his right leg.

It was a sign of his Naija spirit that although he sustained the cut after being pushed into the advertising boards during the first half, Alebiosu played on to complete the game.

He was taken to hospital for treatment afterwards. Although he was not to feature in the tournament again, Alebiosu remained in Morocco with the Nigeria squad rather than returning to his club.

Alebiosu said the experience of representing his country was a memorable one for him and his family, telling ESPN: "I still think about it every day till this point. It was brilliant, walking out for your nation, everyone watching you.

"It was a great achievement for me, my family. It was just an honour, to be honest. To play for your national team, it's always an honour, great experience."

Even with the injury, the defender posted an assured debut, recording a 93% pass accuracy, five defensive contributions, three clearances, one interception and one tackle across 74 touches.

"I came out with an injury, which was a bit frustrating because then I couldn't finish off the tournament, which was a bit annoying," he said, saying the initial prognosis was that he might be fit enough to play at some point, but that kept changing.

"I think 10 days in, when they started to add more days, that's when I knew it's gonna affect me. That's when they told me 50-50 if you will make it through this tournament."

Nigeria finished third at the tournament, claiming the bronze medal after falling in the semifinals on penalties to hosts Morocco with Alebiosu watching from the sidelines.

Alebiosu's call-up to the 28-man Nigeria squad came almost as a direct consequence of the injury suffered by Nottingham Forest right back Ola Aina, who had been the established first choice in the position.

Aina sustained a hamstring injury in September 2025 during Nigeria's World Cup qualifier against South Africa, underwent surgery and missed the entire tournament before returning to competitive action for Forest on January 3.

With Aina absent, Alebiosu was named in the squad alongside Bright Osayi-Samuel of Birmingham City, who started all but that one game against Uganda at right back throughout the tournament.

Chidozie Awaziem of Nantes, a natural center back who can fill in on the right, also provided cover in the position. The squad was further depleted by the absence of young right back Benjamin Fredrick, who missed the tournament through injury.

That competition for the right back berth means Alebiosu's path back into the Super Eagles squad will be challenging. With Aina now fit again and Osayi-Samuel having impressed throughout the AFCON, the Blackburn man knows he must keep performing at club level to stay in contention.

But the taste of international football, he said, has only sharpened his ambitions: "That's something that I strive for, something that I work for. Hopefully the next AFCON, I can be a part of as well.

"But right now, obviously, focusing on club football and what I can do."

Alebiosu's comeback to club duty has not exactly been straightforward. He returned from Morocco having missed three weeks of training, was assessed on the day of his arrival back in England and began work the following morning to rebuild his fitness.

A hamstring scare during a loss to Hull City, which prompted his halftime withdrawal, added to his difficulties before he was cleared to play again.

He has since featured in Rovers' last two Championship matches, including a 3-1 victory at Queens Park Rangers on February14, a result that ended a difficult run without a victory.

Blackburn sit 19th in the Championship table with 35 points from 32 games, one place above the relegation zone.

The club has also undergone a managerial change, with Ismael departing by mutual consent on February 2 and Michael O'Neill appointed head coach on February 13 on a short-term basis, while continuing in his role as Northern Ireland manager.

Alebiosu said getting that first win back was the key to reigniting Rovers' survival bid: "I remember before we had another tough run, then we had a little spell, a run of games, and it felt different.

"Everyone wanted that same feeling. So I feel like that first win is something the group needs again, and then from there, we can kick on, keep going."

Blackburn now face three consecutive home games at Ewood Park in the space of 10 days, beginning with a Lancashire derby against Preston North End on February 20. Alebiosu is hoping the Ewood Park crowd could be a decisive factor.

"That's a very big part, you know, just to get our first win done at Ewood Park. It'll bring more of the fans together, more of everything together," he said.

"Fans roaring on your side, fans building that pressure, building that excitement, it brings a lot of energy to the team."

He added that the bond within the squad remained intact despite the difficult stretch of results and the upheaval in the dugout: "Team bonding is key. I feel like the lads, they're strong in terms of connection.

"It's just, obviously, right now, it's a tough time, but the lads are still there. We're all still together, and that's what's gonna get us through this."

Alebiosu joined Blackburn in July 2025 from Belgian Pro League club Kortrijk on a three-year contract and quickly established himself as one of the club's standout performers.

He scored his first goal for the club, an equalizer in a 2-1 win over Southampton in October and has contributed one goal and two assists in 21 league appearances this season, accumulating 2,004 minutes across all competitions.

His performances attracted reported interest from Serie A club Genoa during the January transfer window, with a bid in excess of 5 million euros rejected by Blackburn.

Alebiosu said finishing the second half of the season strongly is now his sole focus: "The season's a full season, it's not split. So for me to finish off this second half of the season on a high is what I need to strive for.

"I know the team needs to get out of this relegation battle and see how far we can get to. So it's something that, not just me, but the whole team want to achieve."