JUNIOR Tchamadeu will be aiming to help Cameroon extend their stay at the African Cup of Nations tonight.

The former Colchester United favourite, who was League Two's Young Player of the Year last season, will be striving to help the Indomitable Lions claim victory over Gambia in their final Group C match and progress to the knockout stages of the AFCON tournament, being held in Ivory Coast.

Tchamadeu, who left the U's on transfer deadline day to join Championship side Stoke City, has featured as a substitute in each of Cameroon’s group games so far, in the competition.

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The talented 20-year-old played for the final 15 minutes of Cameroon’s opening game 1-1 draw with Guinea, before coming off the bench as a late substitute again in a 3-1 defeat to Senegal, last Friday.

Tchamadeu and his Cameroon team-mates need to win to go through either as group runners-up or as one of the best third-placed teams, knowing that a defeat will end their participation in the tournament.

A draw is unlikely to be enough for Cameroon to progress as one of the best-ranked third-placed teams.

Tchamadeu left Colchester last September to join Stoke on a four-year deal, for an undisclosed fee.

The U's 2022-23 Player of the Year made nearly 100 league and cup appearances for the North Essex club after making his senior debut for them at the age of 16 in December, 2020.

Tchamadeu has registered nine first-team appearances for Stoke in the Championship, so far, surpassing a century of senior games in his professional career.

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Tchamadeu recently told Stoke City FC: “Representing my home country is something I’ve always dreamt of doing and just seeing the smile put on my parents’ face is probably the biggest thing for me.

“It means so much, playing for my country.

“I look back to when I made my first appearance when I was 16 and I feel like I’ve come a long way, just watching my performances on how I’ve grown into the game and into men’s football.

“I feel like that’s kind of credit to getting in there early at Colchester and making my debut early which I’m always grateful for.

“It played a huge part so to achieve 100 career appearances before 20 is a big milestone and hopefully, I can make many more.”