Namibia boss Ricardo Mannetti says Rovers defender Ryan Nyambe is ready to feature for the country of his birth having made himself available for selection.

Nyambe moved to England at the age of 10, joining Rovers four years later, where he has gone on to become a first team regular in the last three seasons.

The 21-year-old, born in Katima Mulilo, is the first and only Namibian to play club football in England, but is yet to appear for his country at senior level.

Mannetti, and officials from Namibia, have tried to convince Nyambe to play for his country, with reports saying Nyambe is now ready to pledge allegiance to the Brave Warriors.

Boss Mannetti told the Southern Times: “He is a versatile player who can play in any position at the back. He can play right-back, centre-back and can also play in a 4-4-2 or 5-3-2 formation. He is such a quality player. The future looks bright for Namibian football.

“It is good to have a player of such structure. I wanted him (Nyambe) to be part of this project (AFCON) qualifier but he insisted that he was not ready. When I call up a player is for him to show what he can provide us with.”

Nyambe has played 30 times for Rovers this season, and is just six games short of a century for the club since making his debut against Shrewsbury Town in the Capital One Cup in August 2015.

Namibia have qualified for the African Cup of Nations, for the first time since 2008, despite being beaten 4-1 by Zambia on Saturday. Their eight points from six games was enough to see them pip Mozambique to second place in Group K based on a better head to head record.

This year’s African Cup of Nations starts in June with Egypt the host nation, after replacing Cameroon in January.