In light of his father’s passing, Nottingham Forest player Cheikhou Kouyaté has been granted permission to withdraw from the Senegal team for the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Senegal national team informed supporters of this in a statement they posted on X, the platform that was formerly known as Twitter.
The Nottingham Forest midfielder was included in the team but was benched for Senegal’s opening triumph against The Gambia; the news was announced the day after that match.
The 34-year-old former Crystal Palace player was added to the team to support the midfield and provide his knowledge to the younger players.
There is presently no word on whether he would return to the international tournament after leaving the squad to attend his father’s funeral in Dakar.
During the summer transfer window of 2022, Kouyaté left Crystal Palace on a free transfer after four years of service to the London-based team and joined Nottingham Forest.
ASC Yeggo was where he began his career, and he has played for West Ham, Anderlecht, KV Kortrijk, and FC Brüssel in Europe.
Anthony Elanga is still doubtful due to an injury before Nottingham Forest’s Premier League matchup with Brentford the following weekend.
The 21-year-old, who cost £15 million to acquire from Manchester United last summer, has been one of Forest’s best players thus far this season.
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Elanga took a knock during Forest’s FA Cup third-round victory over United on December 30, so he was unable to play in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Blackpool.
Elanga’s absence from Forest’s FA Cup rerun match against Blackpool on Wednesday is already confirmed by Espirito Santo, suggesting that the winger could not be fully recovered for the team’s January 20 trip to Brentford.
During Forest’s tie with Blackpool, Espirito Santo was questioned about the severity of Elanga’s injury and replied, “I don’t know, I don’t know.”
“Definitely not for the upcoming matchup [with Blackpool].” I’m hoping he’ll heal up and rejoin the squad.
“Anthony took a knock in the last game,” the Forest manager stated prior to his team’s match with Blackpool. His absence is significant to us.
