West Ham ace in two minds over African Nations Cup

The 31-year-old has just overcome a hernia problem and is likely to return for Sam Allardyce’s side for the visit of Stoke on Monday evening. But he will soon travel to South Africa with the rest of the Ivory Coast squad for the Nations Cup, which kicks off on January 19.

Demel said he is relishing the prospect of winning the tournament but will also miss being part of West Ham’s season at a pivotal time.

“Going to the African Nations Cup will be good as I will be part of this competition for my country, but of course, I will miss some games for my club,” he said.

“Playing my part in helping my club do well in the Premier League and achieving the goals we want is also extremely important to me, so the way I can look at it, is that hopefully I will play well for my country and come back ready to help my club again.”