Nigerian star William Troost-Ekong has highlighted European coaches' attitudes toward the Africa Cup of Nations, revealing their attempts to discourage players from participating.
The Nigerian represented his national side at the last two editions of the tournament, helping the Super Eagles reach the Round of 16 at AFCON 2021 as well as the final of the 2023 edition.
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Speaking on a podcast with former teammate Ben Foster, the lanky centre-back reflected on his time at Watford, where he plied his trade between September 2020 and July 2023.
One topic that the 31-year-old opened up about, was the difficulty to put his national team first with coaches trying to put pressure on him to delay going to the tournament and to return quickly.
"The manager might say, 'Try and play one more game before you leave, or come back as soon as possible.'
"But if you return with an injury, like a torn hamstring, it doesn't go down well," the defender said per SportsRation.
The player also recalled an instance where his former Watford teammate Emmanuel Dennis had to miss out on competing at AFCON 2021.
"I think everybody remembers how it was with Dennis at the time because he didn't go, and I did," Troost-Ekong said.
At the time, the Super Eagles released a statement confirming that he would be absent from the squad competing in the tournament, stating that the Hornets were "baring fangs".
When the defender moved to Greek outfit PAOK Salonika in 2023, he made his intention of representing his side clear to the club upon joining, having learned from previous experiences.
"When I signed for PAOK, I made it clear that it was an AFCON year, and I would most likely go.
"I told them, 'Keep that in mind, and I hope you're okay with it.' Thankfully, they agreed," he explained.
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