January 06, (THEWILL) – Soon after landing in Cameroon for the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tested positive for COVID-19, putting his participation for Gabon in jeopardy.
THEWILL recalls that Aubameyang has not played for Arsenal since early December, when he was withdrawn from the squad due to a disciplinary issue that continues to cloud his future at the club.
However, in his seventh AFCON campaign as captain, the 32-year-old was expected to play a key part for Gabon in a challenging group that included Morocco, Ghana, and first-time qualifiers Comoros.
However, it has been widely reported that Aubameyang has tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Cameroon. He had been in Dubai previously and videos of him partying with colleague Mario Lemina have recently surfaced on social media.
Gabon’s first group game is against Comoros on Monday, January 10, and Aubameyang’s seclusion is likely to keep him out of the much tougher match against Ghana four days later.
Aubameyang is anticipated to be out of isolation and available for Gabon’s third and final group game against Morocco on January 18, which might be decisive.
In terms of his club future, Aubameyang has been linked with a January move to Newcastle United, who are frantically battling to avoid relegation. In recent days, it has also been claimed that Arsenal has informed a number of prominent European clubs that he is available.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
