Lazio midfielder Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro will not take part in the Africa Cup of Nations after a serious battle with COVID.
Ivory Coast coach Patrice Beaumelle revealed in a press conference (via LazioNews24) earlier today that the 29-year-old Biancocelesti midfielder is in poor physical health after suffering from serious COVID symptoms, and so he won’t be available for the ongoing tournament.
Jean-Daniel had COVID at Lazio. He followed his 10-day protocol in Italy. The virus was quite severe and he showed signs of pneumonia. Above all, he cannot travel and climb at altitude, which is a big risk to his health.
He is on antibiotics and has to undergo treatment for at least 15 days. He has lost 50% of his respiratory capacity. We asked CAF to possibly replace him, but they judged that it was not an injury.
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Beaumelle’s words confirm that Akpa Akpro will not feature for the Ivory Coast in this tournament, giving him some time to rest and recover. Lazio will not take any risks wit the player’s health and so he’ll be given adequate time to return to full fitness.
The 29-year-old Akpa Akpro, who is contracted to the Biancocelesti until 2025, has made 11 appearances across all competitions so far this season, for a total of 405 minutes. He has hardly featured in recent months under coach Maurizio Sarri, playing only 71 minutes in Serie A since the end of October.
I played and will continue to do so. STAY strong Akpa 💙🦅
Prayed * sry for the typo.