Black Meteors coach Ibrahim Tanko believes the availability of FC St Gallen star Majeed Ashimeru would have an added boost for his side against Gabon in the CAF U23 Nations penultimate qualifying round first leg tie on Saturday.

Ashimeru has been sidelined for two weeks after suffering a leg injury which required Surgical sutures during a Swiss Super League match last week.

He has been ruled out of the two-legged tie with the winner facing either Equatorial Guinea or Algeria.

Tanko has extolled the qualities of the former WAFA talisman.

''Majeed is a very good player. In the first game we played [against Togo], he didn't play the first in Kumasi but he was with us in Togo. A very good player also for the senior national team,'' Tanko told the media after training.

''Yesterday when I saw the report from their [FC St Gallen] doctor, it was not looking so good but I'm sure he will recover very well so that we will have him for our next match.''