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Watford of England defender, William Troost-Ekong has taken another look at his outing with the Super Eagles against Egypt on Saturday and admitted it will be tough playing against Egypt’s Mohammed Salah, megasportsarena.com reports.
With The Pharaohs banking on the Liverpool star to make waves against the Super Eagles in their Group D opener at the Africa Cup of Nations, Troost-Ekong admitted that he and his colleagues have to be wary of the two-time Afircan player of the year.
He added that anyone who writes Salah off is bound to be condemned into bolts of regret, as the Liverpool ace keeps making top marks with his English Premier League club and could replicate same with his national team.
With that in mind, Troost-Ekong, who has previously played in the youth team of Tottenham Hotspur of England as well as with Haugesund of Norway, Bursaspor of Turkey, KAA Gent of Belgium and Udinese of Italy, stressed that he will have to watch Salah closely.
He, however, went on to joke that he will be hoping that the former Chelsea of England and AS Roma of Italy dazzler does not step close to him during Tuesday’s game in Garoua, Cameroon, as the North African star has scored 23 goals this season, averaging almost one per game.
While acknowledging that his side may not be among the favourites, Troost-Ekong reasoned that he and his colleagues would be disappointed with anything less than reaching the final, but conceded that they must first cage Salah in Tuesday’s opening group game.
Troost-Ekong, who was born in Netherlands, told BBC Sport: “I hope he stays as far away from us and our goal as possible.
“This season he’s obviously been on fire and we all know how good he is, but at the same time I’m very confident in our team.
“We’re not one of the favourites, which I think could be a good position for us to be in. Everyone is willing to go the extra mile, which I think is amazing.
“We understand the challenges that are in front of us, but we all try to support each other. When it’s time to crack a joke, we know when to do that as well.
“There’s a brotherhood in the team. Every day is exciting. It feels like one big family. It’s not just about us; it’s about the whole of Nigeria.
“We know there’s 200 million people at home that will want us to give our heart and soul when we play. Whenever we play, everything stops in Nigeria for 90 minutes.
“Everybody watches the game. It’s good pressure and we use that to motivate us. There’s that moment when you’re walking out and you understand the magnitude of being able to wear the shirt. That’s something really special.”
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