Ex-Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan has listed Mane, Salah, Partey, and Mahrez, as the most gifted players in AFCON 2021
By Kehinde Okeowo
Former Ghana captain and Sunderland striker, Asamoah Gyan, has left out Nigerian players from the list of players to watch out for at the ongoing 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON.
The former Ghanaian striker made the revelation while speaking to CAF Online, on the top players the world should look out for at the tournament.
Asamoah Gyan who listed Sadio Mane of Senegal, Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, Ghana’s Thomas Partey, and Algerian winger, Riyad Mahrez, as the players to watch out for at the AFCON, failed to add a Nigerian player.
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Still snubbing the Super Eagles, the 40-year-old striker who made this comment before the outsider of Ghana on Tuesday night. Also said Mali and Ghana are likely to produce the new stars of the tournament.
He said “There are a lot of great players who are in great shape in their European teams, but in the AFCON anything can happen because it is an unpredictable tournament, because of the passion of African footballers when they play.
“We can get a new star in this AFCON. Of course, we have Sadio Mane of Senegal, Egypt star Mohamed Salah, Ghana’s Thomas Partey, and Algeria striker Riyad Mahrez.
“These top, top players are doing well but there might be a new star coming up in this AFCON, especially from Mali or Ghana. Let’s wait and see.”
He went on to add Leicester Citys’ defender Daniel Amartey as one of the players to shine at the tournament.
“I hope he continues his form in the AFCON and not forgetting Daniel Amartey he has done so well in his last few games,” he added.
However, despite omitting Nigerian from the list of best players at the tournament, the 2010 BBC African Footballer of the Year is impressed with the performance of Nigeria in Cameroon so far and has tipped them to lift their 4th trophy.
He told ESPN, “As of today, Nigeria stands out as the team that has the will to conquer all opposition going by what has happened in the matches so far,”.
Gyan is his country’s all-time top scorer and the most capped player with 51 goals and 109 appearances for Ghana. The Black Stars crashed out of AFCON on Tuesday after losing 2-3 to minnows, Comoros Island.