Ulrich Stielike is confident Elephant's captain Drogba will return

The striker, who plays for English Premier League side Chelsea, recently had an operation on his injured knee.

But Steilike remains hopeful: "He'll be with us for our training camp in Spain at the beginning of January.

"Drogba's getting on very well, he told me that the surgery had been a success," the German coach added.

"It was a simple operation and he should make a rapid recovery.

"I think he'll be fit for the African Nations Cup."

The competition, which runs from 20 January to 10 February, is being hosted by Ghana with Ivory Coast drawn in group B with Nigeria, Mali and Benin.