Former Newcastle United defender Sylvain Distin has sent encouraging words to Christian Atsu as he prepares for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Ghana international has started personal training in Accra ahead of Ghana's trip to Dubai, UAE for pre-tournament camping.

The 27-year old uploaded a training photo on his Instagram account with the caption: “If you’ve never been there before, never say it’s easy. #Afcon2019 #Ghana #Preparation #GodWin”

Distin commented by saying: ''Good to see you working hard bro''