El Hadji Malick Diouf could well return to West Ham United with a winners’ medal from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Diouf did not start for Senegal right away at this year’s tournament in Morocco but has forced his way into the team of late.
After sitting out of Senegal’s first two games (albeit one was forced through suspension), the West Ham United star has taken his place on the left-hand side of the defence.
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Though not perfect, Diouf has been one of West Ham’s better players at times this season and welcoming him back to club duty will be a welcome relief.
Still, his journey with Senegal is set to continue after an impressive performance in their win over Mali.
Malick Diouf stats as Senegal reach AFCON semi-finals
The Lions of Teranga beat Mali 1-0 on Friday afternoon to book their spot in the semi-finals.
Diouf played a key role in it, too.
While it was Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye who scored the decisive goal in Senegal’s 1-0 victory, Diouf actually hit the bar after good interplay between the Hammers star and Sadio Mane.
As per FotMob data, Diouf created one chance, made four passes into the final third and found the mark with 91% of his 43 attempted passes.
Defensively, he contributed with seven clearances, one interception and three recoveries.
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Malick Diouf could become the fifth AFCON winner to play for West Ham
Senegal are in a great position to recapture the AFCON title, even if there is still a lot of football to be played.
It would be brilliant to see Diouf claim continental success for his country and it would perhaps offer him a huge confidence boost by the time he returns to West Ham.
Confidence isn’t something the team have in abundance right now.
If Diouf does do it, he’ll become the fifth AFCON winner to play for West Ham, following in the footsteps of Marc-Vivien Foé, Rigobert Song, Victor Obinna and Sebastien Haller.
Diouf has a brilliant reputation at West Ham and tasting AFCON glory would only enhance it.
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