Africa Cup of Nations - 5 players to watch out for - Senegal

#3 Idrissa Gueye

The Everton player is an important presence in midfield

When Everton made a great start to the season, Gueye was one of the most widely praised players; his physical presence and reading of the game having equipped the Everton midfield to stand up to challenges that Martinez's midfield shied away from.

Even set against the backdrop of Everton's current patchy run, hardly any blame falls upon Gueye; he is still the Premier League player with the highest number of tackles to his name (stat courtesy PL official site). Having put his Aston Villa woes behind him, Gueye seems to be enjoying football again – and when he does, his opponents generally don’t.

Most successful teams have an all-conquering midfield general in their ranks – and that is who Idrissa Gueye could potentially be for Senegal.