Cameroon legend and former Chelsea player, Geremi, named the seven players to watch out for in the 2021 AFCON, which include Egypt’s Mohamed Elneny.
The 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kick-off, Sunday January 9, 2022 when hosts Cameroon come up against Burkina Faso
Egypt, on the other hand, will start its journey on the 11th against Nigeria at the Roumde Adjia Stadium in Garoua.
The Pharaohs are led by Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah, who will be joined by other Premier League players in Mahmoud Trezeguet of Aston Villa and Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny.
Despite his lack of playing time with the Gunners, Elneny has always been a consistent performer with the national team and Geremi believes this AFCON won’t be any different.
“Mohamed Elneny is also a standout for Egypt, he is an experienced player at the top level and always consistent for Arsenal when he gets the chance to play – and just as important as Mo Salah is for Egypt,” Geremi told Metro.co.uk when asked which players he expects to shine during the tournament.
The remainder of the list includes six other players in Sebastian Haller (Ajax Amsterdam, Cote d’Ivoire), Ismaila Sarr (Watford, Senegal), Franck Kessie (AC Milan, Cote d’Ivoire), Islam Slimani (Olympique Lyonnais, Algeria), Karl Toko Ekambi ( Olympique Lyonnais, Cameroon) and Kamaldeen Sulemana (Stade Rennais, Ghana).
Elneny made only ten appearances with Arsenal since the start of the season, three of which were in the EFL Cup where he helped his team reach the semi-finals.
Due to his limited playtime, Elneny started to appear on other clubs’ radars, especially since his contract ending by the end of the season, with Newcastle United reportedly keen on acquiring his services.