Admiral Muskwe will be the first Hatter ever to play in the African Cup of Nations if fielded by his homeland Zimbabwe – and his “dream” could come against one of the world’s best strikers that he has tried to learn from.
Liverpool hotshot Sadio Mane’s Senegal await the Warriors on Monday in their Group B curtain-raiser and, if picked, Muskwe will win his fifth cap for his country, more than two years since his last.
The 23-year-old signed for Luton in the summer from Leicester and, if he features in the Covid-delayed 33rd edition of the Africa’s premier international competition, it will be the first time Town will have five current internationals in the same squad, alongside Simon Sluga (Croatia), Tom Lockyer (Wales), Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu (DR Congo) and Amari’i Bell (Jamaica).
“I’m very excited,” Muskwe said of travelling to the tournament in Cameroon, adding: “It’s a huge honour for myself and my family and I’m looking forward to the whole experience.
“I’ve played a few games in the past, but when the whole world kind of stopped, I guess international football came to a stop, so this will be my first time playing for them in about two years, so I’m really looking forward to it.
“As a young boy you always dream about playing in a major tournament, playing for your country is a huge honour, especially being able to do it at such a prestigious tournament like the Africa Cup of Nations, something which I’ve always wanted to do it and now I’m going to get the opportunity to do so.”
While Muskwe is one of two Zimbabwe players currently plying their trade in English football – alongside Bournemouth’s Jordan Zemura – the Warriors face a tough test against favourites and 2019 finalists Senegal, who boast top-flight talent in Chelsea keeper Édouard Mendy, Watford’s Ismaila Sarr, Crystal Palace’s Cheikhou Kouyaté and Liverpool’s Mane.
“It doesn’t get much tougher than that, but it’s definitely one I’m excited about and looking forward to playing in, that’s for sure,” Muskwe said.
“Mane’s definitely a player which I look at his game and try to incorporate elements of his game into my game – the directness, the movement he makes off the ball which allows him to get into those goalscoring positions.
“And when you watch it on TV, you don’t always get the whole perspective of what he’s done before he completes the action and when I’m on the pitch with him, although the focus will be on the ball and the game, I guess you’ll be directly against him and feel what he’s doing.
“So, I will be aware of it, that will be a good experience and definitely one that I’ll learn from.”
But Muskwe believes Zimbabwe aren’t just in Cameroon to make up the numbers.
“I’d like to say our chances are definitely high of getting out of the group,” he said, adding: “The top two go through and then from the various other groups.
“There’s also third best losers, they also go through to the round of 16, so I’m very confident and optimistic that we’ll definitely get through our group.
“But the Senegal game is going to be a good game, against the likes of Mane and Mendy, so it’s going to be a tough game, but obviously we’ll try our best and see what we can get out of it.”
Muskwe was born in Zimbabwe but move to England when he was three and has represented the Three Lions at youth level, before choosing the country of his birth at senior level, when he made his Warriors debut in 2017.
The forward said: “I played for England U16s and U17s, which was a huge honour as well, a great privilege for me and my family and then I think when I was 18, 19, Zimbabwe called, so it was a decision I had to make.
”I think just playing for the motherland, I’ve always had it in the back of my mind, so I’m very honoured to be playing for my country, so literally when they called me up the first time, it was a no-brainer for me really.”
Any while Muskwe has fond memories of growing up and studying superstar strikers grace the African Cup of Nations like Cameroon’s like Samuel Eto’o and Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba, he’s in the fortunate position of being coached by one of his Zimbabwean heroes.
The Hatter said: “Benjani Mwaruwari, he’s one of the assistant coaches for the national team, he’s the striker coach, so that will be my second time meeting him.
“I met him when I was younger, and he was at Portsmouth and Man City, he was one of the Zimbabweans I watched growing up.”
He added of the African Cup of Nations: “When Zimbabwe played in it in the past, I remember watching my nation play, so it’s something I’ve always watched and been keen on.
“You’ve got players from the best leagues in the world and they’re all coming together to play in one tournament so it’s going to be a good experience that’s for sure, it always is.
“Every time I’ve watched it it’s always been exciting football, end to end, it’s a good showcase of football in Africa and football in general.”
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