Josh Sheehan praises Antoine Semenyo ahead of international clash

Phil Blanche, Press Association

Josh Sheehan says he knew Antoine Semenyo was destined for the top from the first moment he saw him at Newport as the pair prepare to be reunited on the international stage.

Sheehan and Semenyo were teammates at League Two Newport in the first half of the 2018-19 season when the £65million Manchester City forward was just 18 and on loan from Bristol City.

The former Newport duo will meet up again on Tuesday with Wales hosting World Cup-bound Ghana in a Cardiff City Stadium friendly.

“He was a quiet boy but when he stepped on a pitch, straight away he was so strong, so fast, so direct,” Sheehan said of Semenyo, who has made a big impact at City since joining from Bournemouth in January, including scoring the FA Cup final winner against Chelsea.

“You knew from that minute he was going to kick on and have a good career.

“He did well in an FA Cup game (Newport beat Premier League Leicester 2-1) and from that minute he was linked to the big clubs.

“He was only 18 and that is so young, but the way he carried himself on the pitch, he looked a lot older than that.

“You saw that with the goals – right foot, left foot – and he was so strong, even though at 18 you’re not fully developed.”

Sheehan had his own success at Bolton before Wales try to recover from World Cup play-off shoot-out despair against Bosnia and Herzegovina in March with June friendlies against Ghana and Romania.

The 31-year-old midfielder played a key role in Bolton’s promotion to the Championship, which was clinched by Wembley play-off final victory over Stockport last Sunday.

“The end result is amazing and it’s the best feeling,” Sheehan said. “I don’t think we’re going there just to make up the numbers.

“We’re going to give it a right go and I think you’ll see that in the summer.

“We went to Ibiza for a few days, but I had to leave early to be here.

“I don’t mind that. Obviously there’s disappointment at missing out on the World Cup and watching Bosnia there will hurt a bit.

“We’ve got these two games now, the first against a good Ghana team who have some big players at the top of their game.

“When we came back here the message was come the Nations League (in September) we’ve got some big games against some big teams, and we believe that’s the level we should be at.”