Nottingham Forest defender Moussa Niakhate says a phone call from Sadio Mane convinced him to represent Sengal.
The Reds centre-back had turned out for France at youth level, but this international break saw him called up by the Lions for the first time. However, it remains to be seen whether he gets on the pitch in upcoming friendlies against Bolivia and Iran.
Niakhate has been sidelined with a hamstring problem since the Reds’ victory over West Ham United last month. He trained away from the main group of the Senegal squad on Tuesday.
