Senegal defender Ibrahima Sonko snubbed the 2006 African Cup of Nations to help Reading win promotion to the Premier League - but this time around he has accepted the call to help his country despite only having one cap.

Sonko has been enduring a difficult time with Reading and said he was relishing the chance for a new experience in Ghana.

"My decision to go this time was about being ready. Last time I wanted to give myself the chance of playing at the highest level with Reading, achieving what I've always wanted to achieve since I was young, and I did - so now its time to go and try something else, a different experience," he told eurosport.yahoo.com.

"Playing international football is a bonus: I've achieved in the Premier League and that's why I'm now considered an international. If I'd gone to the African Cup of Nations before, I'd probably have been on the bench.

"It's good timing. I've been injured for about eight months now and came back trying to do my bit for the lads, to get back my fitness and play as well as I can - but I need a fresh start and Senegal can give me this.

"I need something to refresh my mind so when I come back here I can be focused again. I need to forget about things for a while, although it will be difficult to forget about Reading.

"When I come back it will be like a new season for me. I need to come back and be positive - I'm in the balance of like 'what's happening to me', you know?"

Sonko is hopeful that this Senegal team, which includes English-based players El-Hadji Diouf (Bolton), Habib Beye (Newcastle), Pape Bouba Diop (Portsmouth) Diomansy Kamara (Fulham) and Henri Camara (West Ham) can challenge for the trophy.

"I think we have a good team. We have seven players in the Premier League, a few more in Ligue 1, and a few of them play in the Champions League as well," he said.

"We're going there expecting to get through the first round and to go as far as we can. The country and the players are dying to win something. I'm sure that we'll set our standards high to try to win it.

"The style we are going to play will be more like French football: passing and passing and passing. It's not like English football, where the ball goes up and down the pitch: you can have time on the ball. Apart from Arsenal there are not many teams in England that do that.

"Senegal will be a new style for me - but I'll come back with more experience."

Sonko allayed doubts over his desire to represent the country of his birth after widespread reports that he would have preferred to play for the country where he grew up.

"I'm looking forward to starting the first game," he acknowledged. "All the Senegal players in England are in touch, texting each other. They've all been saying to me: it's time for you to come, we want you to come - and everyone's looking forward to me being there, so I feel I can be useful to them.

"People get confused - they always think I was waiting for France, but I have always wanted to play for Senegal since I was young. I was born there and my parents are from there, all my family are from there. I love France, it's my second country, but Senegal is my priority.

"Everyone wants to go back to his country as a winner. There are not a lot of things they can cheer in life over there with the circumstances, so they take pride in their team - and when you do well you are a really, really big hero to them."

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Jonathan Symcox / Eurosport