Nigeria forward Femi Azeez will have to wait for his Premier League debut after Brighton & Hove Albion manager Fabian Hürzeler confirmed that the Nigerian will miss Saturday’s home clash against Leeds United.

Azeez joined Brighton from Millwall on transfer deadline day, completing a high-profile move to the Premier League club on a four-year contract that runs until June 2030.

However, the winger has been unable to feature for Brighton since completing the move after picking up a hamstring problem during the opening day of the Championship season with Millwall.

Azeez was substituted before the half-hour mark in that match after feeling discomfort, and subsequently missed Millwall’s next three fixtures against Norwich City, Cambridge United and Southampton. 

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Hürzeler confirmed that the Nigerian remains sidelined but described the problem as a slight injury.

“Femi is obviously carrying a slight injury at the moment,” the Brighton boss said, while indicating that the 25-year-old could return for the club’s next game. 

The update will come as welcome news to Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle, particularly with Nigeria’s upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures approaching.

Azeez has already made an impression in national-team colours, scoring twice on his Super Eagles debut against Zimbabwe at the 2026 Unity Cup before providing an assist in the final against Jamaica.

His performances in the tournament strengthened his case for further involvement with the national team and have increased expectations surrounding his move to the Premier League.

The forward’s immediate priority, however, will be to recover fully and make his long-awaited Brighton debut.

Azeez’s absence against Leeds means he will have to wait a little longer for his first appearance in the Premier League, but Hürzeler’s assessment suggests the setback is not expected to keep him out for an extended period.

Brighton’s medical and technical teams will now monitor his recovery ahead of the next fixture, with the Nigerian hoping to return to full training and make his debut as soon as possible.

For Chelle and the Super Eagles, the positive aspect is that Azeez is expected to be available again soon, potentially putting him in contention for Nigeria’s forthcoming AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.

Azeez is eligible to represent Nigeria, Spain and England, and an appearance for the Super Eagles in either of the upcoming competitive fixtures would cap-tie him to Nigeria