Rangers star Fashion Sakala has celebrated his call-up by Zambia for a pair of World Cup qualifiers.
The 24-year-old striker, who joined the Gers in the summer from KV Oostende, has scored once in ten appearances so far this season.
In June, ahead of his move to Ibrox, he was excused from a number of international friendlies, while in September, he pulled out of the Zambia squad for a pair of World Cup qualifiers citing injury.
He’s now primed to feature in an important double-header against Equatorial Guinea, though, and he took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to express his delight at being back in the fold.
“I’m very proud and happy to be called for national team and it’s one of my biggest dreams to represent my country,” reads a section of his tweet.
“I really appreciate your support and I’m very confident of the future. LET’S GO CHIPOLOPOLO BOYS.”
https://twitter.com/fashionjr10/status/1445312679183360000
Sakala is clearly delighted, but his maiden call-up since his move to Rangers could be bad news for his club.
Zambia’s first fixture is on Thursday in Malabo, before they face the same opposition in their own capital city, Lusaka, on Sunday.
With Equatorial Guinea in central Africa and Zambia in southern Africa, thousands of miles of travelling will be required over the coming days, while hot and humid conditions can be expected for both matches.
There’s also the risk of injury for a player who has missed out on some football already this season with a groin problem.
Clearly, it’s very important for Sakala to be able to represent his nation, but from Rangers’ perspective, it’s far from ideal that he’s racking up air miles ahead of an important run of domestic and European fixtures.
The same can be said for the likes of Joe Aribo, Leon Balogun and Calvin Bassey, who are all set to feature for Nigeria in qualifiers against the Central African Republic on the same dates.
Meanwhile, plenty of Rangers fans have heaped praise on a player for his ‘sensational’ post-Hibernian tweet.
