English Premier League side Brighton have sent a warning to Ivory Coast not to play Simon Adingra in today’s Africa Cup of Nations game against the Super Eagles of Nigeria.
The Elephants will be playing the Super Eagles in their second game of the tournament, where a win will see them book a spot in the round of 16 of the tournament following their opening day 2-0 win over Guinea Bissau.
Nigeria will be keen on avoiding defeat after a not to impressive start to the tournament, where they were held to a 1-1 draw by Equatorial Guinea. A defeat in today’s game against the host could make it hard for them to progress to the next round.
Despite the dicey nature of the game, Ivory Coast have been told by Brighton not to risk the back to fitness Adingra who only recently returned from a harmstring injury that has kept him out since December.
The 22 year old inclusion in the team didn’t go down well with the club as he was injured when he was named in the final list of players for the tournament. However a compromise was reached on him missing out the first two games.
Brighton fears he could aggravate the injury if he is risked in any of the first two games of the tournament, as they are out of the timeline required for him to reach full fitness. A risk free move will be to play him in the third and final group game against Equatorial Guinea.
With five goal and five assists this season in the English Premier League, he is seen as one of the weapons of the host who are keen on winning the tournament for the first time since 2015.
Osas Mahawi