Rangers striker Fashion Sakala is looking forward to playing his part for Zambia in their upcoming AFCON qualifiers against Cote d’Ivoire and Comoros having missed out on new manager Aljosa Asanovic’s first friendlies in charge against Republic of the Congo and Benin.
A positive Covid test ruled the Rangers star out but he’s raring to go after ending the season with a role in the Europa League and Scottish Cup finals.
Sakala joins the likes of Brighton midfielder and Zambia skipper Enock Mwepu and Leicester City forward Patson Daka as foreign-based players in the squad and he insists there will be no excuses if they fail to qualify for AFCON 2023.
“I really wanted to be part of the last two friendlies that I missed due to COVID but I am really happy to be back for the two games. Very important games,” Sakala said [Lusaka Times].
“Obviously, these games are very important for us, especially the first one. We just have to have confidence and believe that we can win. We don’t need to doubt ourselves, we need to have trust we are getting from the fans.
“This is the time for us to play in the AFCON and I don’t think we have any excuses to give if we fail.”
Zambia face Cote d’Ivoire on June 3 before they host Comoros on June 7.
Zambia boss a big fan of Rangers’ Fashion Sakala – and thinks Premier League move is in his future
Asanovic seems to be a big fan of Sakala’s and hopefully getting regular games with the Zambian national team can help improve his performances for Rangers.
The Zambia boss has previously spoken about how he “loves” the Rangers man and thinks he can follow the likes of Daka to the Premier League.
While it maybe seems unlikely, a run of impressive showings for Rangers could end up seeing him head south of the border.
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