Gervinho to miss AFCON after knee surgery

Gervinho will play no part in Ivory Coast's Africa Cup of Nations defence after undergoing surgery on a knee injury.

A veteran of 79 caps, with 22 goals to his name, Gervinho captained his country in their recent World Cup qualifying win over Mali, but he will not form part of Michel Dussuyer's squad in Gabon.

The Elephants were victorious in Equatorial Guinea in 2015, beating Ghana in an epic penalty shootout, in which Gervinho gained notoriety for refusing to watch the spot-kicks.

Nevertheless, the former Arsenal and Roma man was named in the team of the tournament after scoring in the quarter-finals and semi-final win over DR Congo.

The Hebei China Fortune star is likely to be sidelined for the next six months.