By: Omar Jatta
Last week the Gambian coach Tom Saintfeit has released his 35-man squad list for the two legged African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Gabon, which he said will be trimmed down to a final 23 that will take on the Pantheres both away and at home on the 26th and the 30th March respectively.
This list included five uncapped players including Switzerland-born Gambian Saidy Janko, who was born to a Gambian father Bakary Janko from Niani Kayaye and a Swiss-Italian mother. The inclusion of the former Manchester United prodigy is a real coup for the Gambian coach, as Janko, who showed great promise as young player is finally finding his strides again at Swiss top tier club BSC Young Boys, where he is on loan from Protugese side FC Porto.
Having struggled to produce the youthful footballing knack that saw him joined English Premier League giants Manchester United in the summer of 2013 as one of the only three signings made by former United boss David Moyes, and later saw him ply his trade in several other top tier clubs in England, Scotland, France and Portugal, Janko is now playing his best football with Swiss side BSC Young Boys, where he has cemented a permanent first team place since arriving on loan from Portuguese side FC Porto last summer. He has already exceeded two thousand minutes of play in over 33 games in all completions for the Bern-based side including the eight (8) in the Europa league, and he has also provided 4 assists already from fullback position.
And his rejuvenation means the versatile 25-year-old, who has represented Switzerland at various youth team levels from U18 to U21, is joining the Gambian fold at a very good time, when Gambia are currently faring well as group leaders in Group D of the on-going AFCON qualifiers, where his experience and versatility may come handy and can immensely improve the current side.
And also most importantly, the former FC Zurich youth team player is a player playing at the top level of Swiss football and again on top of his game with Young Boys, where he mainly plays as a right-back, although he is equally capable of playing on the right wing as a winger and he is player with great crossing ability that can benefit the likes of Assan Ceesay in the opposition box for the Scorpions.
He is quick and very good with the ball at his feet, and shows great agility and strength in his play, and on current form he should qualify for the final 23 for the Gabon games, which will also tie him down for the Gambia for good.
His overall rating in the current FIFA 20 is 70 with a potential of 75 and has got a 3-star skillmoves rating, with his workrates are High / Medium.
His best stats are: Acceleration: 91, Sprint Speed: 87, Agility: 77, Stamina: 74, Balance: 70.