The 25-year-old helped his native Ghana to the semi-finals of the competition, where they lost out to eventual winners Cameroon.

Atsu started in five of the Black Stars’ six games in Gabon, putting in a man-of-the-match display against Uganda in their opening fixture before playing an important role as Avram Grant’s side saw off the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last eight.

The winger is one of two English-based players to feature in the “Team of the Tournament”, Leicester City’s Daniel Amartey – another Ghanaian – the other.

CAF "Team of the Tournament": Fabrice Ondoa (Cameroon); Modou Kara Mbodji (Senegal), Ahmed Hegazy (Egypt), Michael Ngadeu (Cameroon), Charles Kabore (Burkina Faso), Daniel Amartey (Ghana), Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso), Christian Atsu (Ghana), Mohamed Salah (Egypt), Christian Bassogog (Cameroon), Junior Kabananga (Democratic Republic of Congo).