Ivorian International Yaya Toure will return to action for the first time in more than a year after being named by the Ivory Coast in their squad for the African Nations Cup qualifiers against Sudan this month.
The 32-year-old Manchester City midfielder has not played for his country since captaining the Ivorians to Nations Cup success in February last year, missing several qualifiers for the next Nations Cup finals in Gabon in 2017 plus the start of the preliminaries for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Coach Michel Dussuyer in an interview with the Ivorian Football Federation website said, “Yaya Toure had requested a break, which was understandable. He had given much to the selection and wished to catch his breath”.
“I think he put that time to good use to relax and set new goals, such as winning a second straight African title and looking to play at the World Cup for a fourth time, which would be exceptional and enrich his already magnificent record,” the coach added.
The Ivorian team has been boosted by Bournemouth’s Max Gradel who recently returned from injury and Paris St Germain fullback Serge Aurier, who was suspended by the French champions last month for insulting coach Laurent Blanc; both are included in the 24-man squad for the two games in Abidjan on March 25 and Khartoum four days later.
Yaya Toure Returns To Ivorian Squad
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