23 November 2023 , 12:19
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Wrexham star Jacob Mendy has reflected on making his international debut for Gambia.
Mendy was called up to the Gambia squad to take part in their World Cup qualifiers against Burundi and the Ivory Coast this month. The 26-year-old is enjoying his second season with Wrexham, after arriving from Boreham Wood in the summer of 2022.
The left-back did not play in the first World Cup qualifier against Burundi on November 16, but he would not have to wait too much longer to get his chance. Mendy was named in the starting line-up for the game against the Ivory Coast on Monday, to be handed his debut for his country.
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Mendy played nearly the full 90 minutes at left-back, before being substituted by manager Tom Saintfiet in stoppage time to be replaced by Hamza Barry. Gambia lost the game 2-0 thanks to goals from Christian Kouame and Seko Fofana.
Two days later, Mendy took to social media to express his gratitude for those who have supported him on his journey to represent his country. The Wrexham defender went on to outline his intent to continue performing on the international stage for Gambia.
Mendy wrote on Twitter: "Still processing it! Just wanted to thank everyone for the support and the messages I’ve received and I’m still receiving. Really appreciate it. Hungry for more."
The next chance Mendy will have to play for Gambia will be during the Africa Cup of Nations which begins in January. That will see group fixtures against Senegal, Guinea, and Cameroon in the tournament.
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson was asked about Mendy's call-up to the Gambia squad earlier in the international break. Due to being selected to represent his country, Mendy was unavailable for Wrexham's 2-0 loss to Accrington Stanley at the weekend.
Parkinson explained how Mendy's performances during the campaign caught the attention of the Gambia management, and why he hoped that the defender would gain some valuable experience representing his country.
Jacob Mendy has made 15 appearances for Wrexham this season (Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)"The Gambian manager [Saintfiet] has been monitoring him, closely," Parkinson said on November 16, via the BBC.
"There's other players in his position and he's got competition as you'd expect. But he's done well to get in there. Obviously he wants to have some minutes to show what he can do.
"I'd like to see him get some game time and not have a trip where he goes there and is just a squad player. Obviously we've got a lot of belief in Jacob and we think he's a really good player."