Hervé Renard hands Ipswich’s Goal of the Month nominee his first senior Ivory Coast call-up

Abdoul Ouattara’s October keeps getting better. Ipswich Town’s full-back has been handed his first senior call-up for Côte d’Ivoire by Hervé Renard, on the same day he was named on the Premier League’s Goal of the Month shortlist.

The Elephants play Gambia twice in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying during the international break, at home on Thursday 12 November and away on Tuesday 17 November. Ouattara will be hoping to win his first senior cap in one of them.

It is a big step for a defender playing his part in Ipswich Town‘s first season back in the top flight since promotion from the Championship.

Why has Renard picked him now?

His form has made the case. Ouattara was one of four players on the shortlist for Ipswich’s Player of the Month for October, alongside Daizen Maeda, Exequiel Palacios and the eventual winner, Julio Enciso, who took the supporters’ vote with more than 2,000 fans picking him.

He was involved again at the MKM Stadium last weekend. In the 2-2 draw at Hull City, Ouattara beat his man and slipped in Florentino Luís, who smashed the opener into the roof of the net in the 22nd minute.

The Fulham goal that got him on the shortlist

Ouattara is one of eight players up for the Premier League Goal of the Month award for October. His nomination is for the strike against Fulham, when he cut in off the right flank and found the bottom corner from 25 yards with his left foot.

Voting is open now, and the winner will be announced on Friday 13 November, the day after his possible Côte d’Ivoire debut.

Who else are Ipswich losing to the international break?

Ouattara is not the only one. Dara O’Shea has been called up by the Republic of Ireland for their Nations League games away to Austria on 14 November and at home to Kosovo three days later. Sindre Walle Egeli joins the Norway Under-21s for matches against Poland and Portugal, having already scored seven goals in 13 appearances at that level.

Goalkeeper Christian Walton is also on a shortlist, up for Save of the Month after his late stop from Brooke Norton-Cuffy in the same draw at Hull. That one is announced on 13 November too.

Before any of that, Ipswich host Bournemouth at Portman Road on Sunday, with a 2pm kick-off on Remembrance Sunday. Town were already spared a January absence when the Asian Cup was pushed back a year, and Ouattara’s call-up is the kind of international news they will happily take.

A deserved reward for Abdoul Ouattara

This feels earned rather than lucky. A full-back who can create a goal at Hull and score one like that against Fulham is giving Ipswich real end product from wide areas, and Renard has clearly noticed.

The only worry for Town is the travel. Two qualifiers in six days is a heavy load, so the hope at Portman Road will be that he comes back with a first cap and fresh legs.