Ryan Nyambe will represent Namibia at the Africa Cup of Nations after making himself available for the Brave Warriors.

The Rovers full back has declared himself available for the country of his birth following lengthy talks with national team boss Ricardo Mannetti.

The 21-year-old, who has made 97 appearances for Rovers, wasn’t expected to link up with his country until the start of next season.

But with the tournament in Egypt approaching, Nyambe will join up with his team mates next month ahead of the competition.

Namibia will hold training camps in the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia before their AFCON campaign which includes group games against Morocco (June 23), South Africa (June 28) and Ivory Coast (July 1).

Nyambe said: “I’m pleased to finally join the family. It has always been coming, I have been thinking about it for a while and now I am ready and raring to go. I feel honoured to play for my country and excited to meet the squad soon.

“Expect me to give all in every game and hopefully I can make an impact that will help the team succeed. I would bring to the team the ability to defend and energy as a full back.”

Nyambe signed a new two-year deal at Rovers last month which will keep him at the club he joined as a 13-year-old until 2021.

His new national team coach believes he will bring ‘tremendous value’ to the national team and looks forward to working alongside him.

Mannetti added: “I have been following his career and been a big fan and finally he has agreed to play for his country.

“It is the biggest dream for any player to don their national colours and I am happy that he has decided to do so now.

“Going to AFCON, we need all the players we can get and he is surely a player of a different dimension. I had a lot of conversations with him and its clear that he weighed his options carefully.”