Ittihad of Alexandria winger Razack Cisse has been named in Ivory Coast's senior squad for the first time ahead of this month's 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, the Egyptian club said in a statement on Monday. Cisse, 22, has been included in the Elephants' squad that will take on Niger on 26 March in Niamey, then Ethiopia four days later in Abidjan. Ivory Coast are at the top of Group K with seven points and need a victory from their next two games to secure their spot in Cameroon 2021. Cisse has already played for Ivory Coast U20 in the 2017 Francophonie Games but it's his maiden call-up in the senior squad. Cisse made his debut in the Egyptian Premier League with Aswan in the 2016/2017 season, before moving to Cairo giants Zamalek at the end of the season. He failed to secure regular appearances as he played only 160 minutes across five games in all competitions before the club decided to loan him to coastal side Ittihad of Alexandria during the winter break. Since January 2018, he has been spending repeated loan spells at Ittihad, where he blossomed to become one of the most remarkable foreign players in the league. Blessed with a blistering pace and a remarkable dribbling ability, Cisse is a nightmare for defenders. This is combined with his shooting ability that has evolved this season, netting six goals in 13 appearances, putting him among the top contenders in the top scorer race. After earning his call-up, he will be looking to make his dream come true and make his international debut in March. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
