A surprise call up by Aliou Cissé for the Senegal squad, Nottingham Forest’s Moussa Niakhaté could be set to make his first appearance for the country this international break.
This comes as a bit of a shock since the player has been out injured for the past month or so after picking up an injury while playing for Steve Cooper’s side in their second game back in the Premier League.
The defender was bought from Mainz 05 in Germany over the summer as part of a huge revamp at Nottingham Forest, with a lot of expectations placed on his shoulders.
He immediately started for the Tricky Trees, only to end up injured, and there was no indication as to when he would return.
The call-up to the Senegal squad suggested he could be heading back sooner rather than later, but then a report emerged stating he would be heading back to England after his injury was looked at by the national team staff.
That isn’t the case, however, since the player appeared in a press conference on Thursday, where he was asked a few question by journalists, including his choice to sign for Nottingham Forest.
He said, relayed by Senego: “I weighed the pros and cons, and the best option was Nottingham. I needed a new challenge. I’d spent four nice years in Mainz, where I’d become the captain. I also wanted to put myself in danger, discover a new league, one that I personally consider the best in the world.
“I wanted to play against the best forwards, against the best teams and to show what I was capable of in the Premier League. That’s what motivated my choice. My aim is to always play, whether it was at Nottingham or elsewhere, the aim is to play, and I think it was the step to take to continue the track I created and to get me to fulfil my potential.”
He also addressed his injury, but he made it clear he wasn’t thinking about playing against Bolivia, as he was continuing to train apart from the main group for the time being.
He added: “We’ll see if I play, considering my fitness levels. I’m here, I’m training, individually for now. The game against Bolivia isn’t an option for the time being. We’ll see. The manager will be the one to make a decision, but today we aren’t talking about a game just yet.”
