PALACE players gave a guard of honour to Cheikhou Kouyaté after he won the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.

The defensive midfielder returned from international duty last week after he had played a role in the Lions of Teranga win their first-ever AFCON title.

He received a warm welcome from his club teammates as the Palace players gave him a guard of honour as he made his way onto the training pitch.

Club captain Luka Milivojević presented Kouyate with a personalised Palace shirt which said "AFCON 2022 Champions" on the back of it.

Speaking about winning AFCON, Kouyate told CPFC: “I can’t explain this happiness.

“It’s unbelievable – it was the best day of my life. The celebrations were too much.

“It’s crazy because we know it’s the first trophy for Senegal, and for us also it means we are now in the story of Senegal.

“When we were younger and Senegal were playing, we would support the team. Now you are a player in the team and you bring home the cup.”

Kouyate is yet to feature for Palace since his return from the tournament but he could be back in the team for their match against Chelsea on Saturday.

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