Mali striker Cheick Diabate will miss this year’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) after agreeing to have an “essential” knee surgery.
The 26-year-old will be sidelined for four months and will miss out on his country’s campaign in Equatorial Guinea later this month.
Diabate’s French club Bordeaux confirmed on Thursday that their leading scorer this season with eight goals in the French Ligue 1 agreed to go through the knife after consultation with a specialist in Marseille last month.
The 1.9m tall striker has been complaining of recurring problems with his knee for several months.
Advertisement
He had been called up by Mali for Afcon 2015, slated to start January 17 through February 8.
