Kundai Benyu is looking forward to kicking off his international career in the unlikely setting of Lesotho.
While Tom Rogic and Mikael Lustig prepare for World Cup play-off’s their Celtic team-mate is preparing for an international debut in the colours of Zimbabwe.
The former Ipswich man was born in London to parents from Zimbabwe and is hoping to help his country reach the finals of the African Nations Cup in 2019.
Looking towards an international career Benyu told Newsday: “This is a great opportunity for me, a new adventure and experience which I have been looking forward to.
“I can’t wait to get onto the pitch and start giving my best for the national team. Everything has been great since I came in, the atmosphere has been good and the welcome was very warm and I can’t wait to feel the atmosphere in a match.
“I have been following the Warriors since the proposal for me coming to represent Zimbabwe was first made at the end of last season. From there, I have had a keen interest in everything to do with the national team.”
He added: “I hope I can make a good impression and I will work hard for the team. The target is to qualify for the Afcon finals and when we get there, we have to do better than what we did the last time,” he said.
“So far, it has been great meeting up with the guys that have been playing all along. They are good guys and very friendly, we really feel at home.”
Benyu is expected to go out on loan in January after struggling to break into Brendan Rodgers’ side.
The 19-year-old has started just one match since moving to Celtic but has impressed the coaching team in training.
Benyu fell out of favour with Ipswich last season, spending time on loan at Aldershot with Celtic beating off interest from Aston Villa and West Ham during the summer for his signature.