Former Ghana midfielder Derek Boateng believes Asamoah Gyan's experience will be massively needed at the Nations Cup in Egypt.

Gyan has been in the news for several reasons, after early announcing his retirement from the Black Stars over the captaincy of the team. He later rescinded the decision following the President of the country's intervention.

Despite all the controversies surrounding the General Captain of the Black Stars, Derek Boateng believes the Kayserispor attacker's influence will be immense at the tournament.

“Even if you are taking Asamoah Gyan and you not playing him in starting XI, you need to take him, because, in these kinds of tournaments, you need experienced players around the team,” he told Pulse Ghana Sports in an interview.

“Some of the players haven’t played in the AFCON before. Trust me this tournament is different from the World Cup. It is very tough. This is Africa, no one wants you to dribble him. It is not like we playing in Europe against these whites. We need all our players, we need everyone. We don’t need them; we don’t have to divide them.