Omar Rekik receives Tunisia callup for AFCON
Arsenal youngster Omar Rekik has been called up to represent Tunisia at the upcoming African Cup of Nations, played from January 9th to February 6th. His country will start its involvement in the tournament in Cameroon on January 12th against Mali in Group F, and continue with a clash against Mauritania on the 16th, before closing the group stage against Gambia four days later.
According to football.london, Rekik was one of the youngsters set to be sent out on loan to gain some first-team experience in the second half of the season, but this callup, which obviously represents important recognition of his impressive performances for Arsenal’s Under-23 side, changed that.
The 20-year-old is a versatile defender, preferring to play in the middle of the back line, but also very capable of doing a good job on the right flank or as a defensive midfielder. He joined the Gunners from Hertha Berlin II earlier this year, after spells in the youth setups at Feyenoord, Manchester City, PSV Eindhoven and Olympique Marseille. This season, he has made 11 appearances in the Premier League 2, getting one assist to his name, along with two matches played in the EFL Trophy.
Meanwhile, up to eight players from the Under-23 team could head out in search of regular football in January. Winger Kido Tyler-Hart, 19, striker Folarin Balogun, as well as midfielders Ben Cottrell (both 20) and James Olayinka (21), are among the names on that list.
Manager Mikel Arteta has obviously shown in the cases of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli and Nuno Tavares, that he is quite prepared to put his faith in young players, so all those who temporarily leave next month should be strongly motivated to do well.
