Emmanuel Adebayor tips Antoine Semenyo to be the 'best and key' player for Manchester City

Former Arsenal and Manchester City forward Emmanuel Adebayor told Antoine Semenyo to trust his ability and play without pressure, predicting the Ghana forward can establish himself as one of City's most important players.

Adebayor said Semenyo has regularly sought his advice since joining City from Bournemouth in January.

"He always asks me, 'Big bro, how can I do this? How can I work on this?'" Adebayor told Ghana's 3Sports.

"I keep telling him, keep your head on your shoulders, keep working hard and believe in your quality.

"If Man City bought you, the club had 50 or 100 meetings before deciding to bring you in. You have the talent, so believe in your quality and play without pressure."

Semenyo signed a five and a half year contract with City in January after scoring 10 Premier League goals for Bournemouth in the first half of last season. The move followed earlier spells with Bristol City, Bath City, Newport County and Sunderland.

He made an immediate impact upon joining City and has remained a regular part of new coach Enzo Maresca's attack this season.

Adebayor, who joined City from Arsenal in 2009, said Semenyo has the potential to be the star of a squad already packed with established internationals.

"He's new to the Man City squad and playing alongside big players, but he will get there," Adebayor said. "At some point, he will become the best and a key player for the team."

On Saturday, Semenyo scored twice and provided an assist in City's 5-3 win over Sunderland, his first Premier League goals of the season. The 26-year-old had already contributed two assists in City's opening four league games and has started all five Premier League matches.

Adebayor's comments came as Ghana prepared for their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ivory Coast, with the Black Stars missing several senior players.

Semenyo, Mohammed Kudus, Baba Rahman and Jordan Ayew have all withdrawn from the squad and the former City striker said those absences would leave Ghana short of the sort of experience they would normally rely on in such a high level fixture.

"Ghana have good players, but there is no game without experienced players," he said. "Kudus brings confidence to the younger players. In a derby like Ghana vs Côte d'Ivoire, you need someone to say: 'Guys, don't panic. It's 90 minutes. Stay focused, do your job and go home.'"

The former Togo captain, who currently lives in Ghana, also revealed that he played a part in persuading Auxerre defender Marvin Senaya to choose Ghana over Togo.

Senaya was eligible for both countries, and received callups in March from both Ghana and Togo, before committing to the Black Stars, with a little nudge from the former Real Madrid striker.

"I told him this is the only chance you have," Adebayor said. "Ghana had already qualified for the World Cup, so I told him he had to go because it could be the major tournament of his lifetime."

Adebayor, who led Togo to the 2006 World Cup, said Senaya had sought his advice before making his international decision.

"I'm like his great godfather," Adebayor said. "He always listens to my advice and takes it seriously."

Senaya went on to feature in all four games of Ghana's World Cup campaign but suffered an injury in Ghana's round of 32 defeat to Colombia, an injury he is still recovering from.