We’re just a week away from the start of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast.
This is one of those international tournaments I’ve been drawn to since a young age.
In hindsight, I recall being far more excited than I should’ve been when I heard the news of my club, Manchester United, signing an unknown striker named ‘Manucho’ in December 2007. I then marked every Angola match for the AFCON 2024 tournament in my calendar so I could carry out my due diligence on Sir Alex Ferguson’s new addition.
Manucho’s Manchester United career wasn’t the fairy tale I thought it might be when I first heard of his signing from Angolan side Petro Atlético —he’d go on to make just one competitive appearance for the EPL giants!
However, he did enjoy a stellar 2008 AFCON in which he scored four goals, second only to Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o, and made the Team of the Tournament.
It’s never a good idea to judge a player purely on their form in an international tournament.
Tournaments like AFCON, the Euros and, indeed, the FIFA World Cup can feel longer than they are; they occur over a short period with very specific conditions that don’t always reflect a player’s true level and mislead clubs into pursuing players whose flaws and real quality would become apparent with extensive scouting.
As already mentioned, though, I love tournament football, even if it sometimes dupes people into overhyping talents.
It can also provide players with a platform to showcase their qualities to a larger audience and act as a career launchpad.
In this AFCON 2024 scout report, we’ve picked out five U23 forwards set to lead the line for their respective countries at this tournament, who you should watch out for and keep a close eye on.
All of these players have demonstrated a certain level of skill in high-quality leagues at the club level.
They are poised to progress beyond that level in the near future, regardless of their individual performances over the next month.
With that said, they’ll be looking to shine on a global platform in the Ivory Coast over the next few weeks and demonstrate the quality they’ve shown in their respective domestic leagues on the international stage.
This tactical analysis will analyze these players’ qualities based on their performances over the last year, mainly at club level but also taking international performances into account.
We’ll examine these players’ ideal roles within their teams’ tactics, key strengths and weaknesses and what can be expected from them in the Ivory Coast.
So, let’s get going.
Karim Konaté, 19 years old, Ivory Coast and Red Bull Salzburg
Starting strong, the first of our five forwards is the current joint-top goalscorer in the Austrian Bundesliga, Red Bull Salzburg’s Karim Konaté (178cm / 5’103, 68 kg / 150 lbs).
The 19-year-old has enjoyed a real breakout season at club level this term.
Still, wit
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