Yak Departs For Cup Of Nations

Everton striker has joined up with the Nigeria squad ahead of tournament.

Yakubu has joined up with the Nigeria squad ahead of this month's African Cup of Nations.

The striker, who is the only fit Nigerian in the Everton squad at present, has left for Angola where the Super Eagles will take on Mozambique, Benin and Egypt in Group C, starting against the latter on 12 January.

Nigeria have won the trophy twice since its inception in 1957, but not since 1994. Competition will be fierce with World Cup hopefuls Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Algeria also in the tournament but Yakubu is confident his nation's time may be about to come again.

"If we keep giving our best on the pitch and working for each other we can achieve something," he told evertonTV. "We are playing three tough teams in the group and it's not going to be easy. But we will give it our best and hopefully it will be our year to win the Cup.

"As a player you want to play for your country and I'm looking forward to it. There is always pressure though because the people back home, they are like your manager, telling players what to do. It's pressure playing for your national team, but we're used to it and we want to do our best."

Yakubu only returned to the first-team fold in August following almost a year on the sidelines with an Achilles problem.

Now fully fit again, the 27-year-old wants to use the Cup of Nations to rediscover his goalscoring touch, having registered just twice so far this campaign.

"I think at the moment my fitness is good and I'm 100 per cent okay,” he said. “That is good and hopefully I will start scoring goals for my country and carry it on for Everton when I get back from Angola."

Yakubu will return to Merseyside immediately after Nigeria’s exit from the competition. The final, should they reach it, is to be held on 31 January.