Helping deprived kids in war-torn Africa is my big project.. that is who I really am MAMADOU SAKHO EXCLUSIVE
Callum: Stan’s at his Cherry best now
CALLUM WILSON claims fitagain Junior Stanislas is like a new signing for Bournemouth after his six-month injury.
Stanislas is pushing to make his first Premier League start since March when the Cherries take on Crystal Palace tomorrow after battling back from a serious knee problem.
Striker Wilson, 26, said: “Junior has got himself looking strong and feeling good. He is back to his best and the more minutes he racks up the better.
“He has added that freshness to the group because he has been away.
“He has got his banter, his presence around the changing room and is a good quality player.
“He is different to our other wingers so it is only going to benefit us having players like that back.”
Agony
Wilson (below) knows exactly what Stanislas, 28, has had to endure after himself suffering the agony of rupturing the cruciate ligaments in both knees.
The former Coventry hotshot has revealed the role he played in helping Stanislas bounce back.
“Junior is a good friend and it was disappointing to see him get injured,” added Wilson. “You see him working hard in the gym and I have been giving him tips on what makes you feel better and what doesn’t.
“I was just giving him views of my experience.”
Wilson has challenged his side to recover from their 4-0 thumping at Burnley with victory over Palace – to send out a message to the rest of the Premier League. He said: “To get a defeat like the one at Burnley was tough to take so we want to bounce straight back.” Neil Moxley
MAMADOU SAKHO looks the part. He stands out in a crowd. Maybe it’s the hair, the clothes, the physique. Every inch the Premier League footballer.
And then, when you speak to this toughas-teak defender, you have to leave those assumptions at the side of the pitch.
You might expect Crystal Palace’s strongman to be bitter. Brassed off that he missed out on playing a part in a World Cup-winning France team. Read on. “My job is to be a centre-half,” said the Eagles defender at the EA Sports FIFA 19 ratings awards. “People judge me for what I do on the pitch. I am like that on the field. I want to win. It is my job.
“But that is not who I am off the pitch. You asked me what I did this summer.
Positive
“I went to Africa for three weeks on my own. I organised a trip around eight countries.. Gabon, Ivory Coast, Mali, Liberia, Morocco, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea and Guinea-bissau.
“The World Cup was on. I was visiting jails, orphanages, schools – all these people need a positive message, especially the kids.
“Sure, I could have sent money. Kids may need that. But it is better for them to look in your eyes.
“They need to hear your voice, your message. To touch you, speak with you, ask questions.
“In Liberia, I met a lot of kids who were victims of the war there. It’s hard. I have three children myself and... it’s hard. In Guinea-bissau and the Ivory Coast, I went to jails to speak with the guys there. They had done wrong, but they needed help.
“I took the kids food, kit, clothes. They needed everything and I took what I could. I wanted to show them I was there for them.
“You know, it would be easy for me to turn up somewhere and for my agents to say, ‘You have an appointment at this school at 3pm’.
“I could turn up, have a few pictures taken and then people would say, ‘Oh, what a nice person he is’.
“But it’s not enough. I know who I am, what I am and where I am going. My aim is to help.”
Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. Sakho took time out during his spell with Liverpool to help the city’s homeless.
But while he was away, did he not feel a pang of envy at what his compatriots were achieving in Russia? In normal circumstances he might have been involved. But a failed drugs test in April 2016 left a smear that lasted a year before he was cleared.
UEFA ended up slamming the World Anti-doping Agency. But the damage had been done to his reputation by then.
He said: “I saw the World Cup – of course I did. It was difficult with all the travelling.
“But I wasn’t disappointed. I’m always positive. I was happy for my team. For my team-mates, for my country.
“Was I disappointed? How many millions of people were made happy by the France team? Why should I be unhappy? Who am I to be unhappy?
“The manager, if he needs me, I’m there. To fight for my country.
“If I could change something in my career it would be the drug test. Of course it was unfair. Everybody knows it was unfair.
Heart
“But I have a beautiful job, healthy kids. Why should I be sad?
“Only last month one of my friends, Abdoul Camara, had to stop playing because he had a heart problem.
“I played with him for France in the Under-18s. That’s life. That’s hard. There is always someone with a harder situation than you.”
And what of the future? I’m going again next year,” he added.
“It’s what I’m going to do. I have family is in Senegal.
“I have a project – you will hear about it soon.
“There are Premier League players involved, Italian players, French players. We want to do something positive. We will do it.