Adebayo Charges Teammates Ahead of Next Season

Centreback Abiodun Adebayo has called on his Enyimba colleagues to quickly come out of ‘holiday mode’ and brace up for the challenges that the upcoming football season will present.

Adebayo and his teammates are back in training after the Presidential Task Force (PTF) last week lifted the restriction on football activities in Nigeria.

The PTF’s announcement came after a seven-month Covid-19-imposed break, and players are not expected to be anywhere near full fitness.

Yet, Enyimba are left with barely a month before the commencement of next season’s CAF Champions League, and Adebayo believes the players would have to push beyond their limits to give their best in the competition.

“It is a very difficult situation for us, both the coaches and the players,” Adebayo noted.

“The break was very long and you can’t expect players to be as fit as before. I know we were training at home, but you can’t get the required level of fitness by training at home. It’s always different when we are together.

“But we can’t make excuses. We have to come out of holiday mode and train harder than before, because that’s the only way we can make ourselves ready for the continent.”