Zambia coach Herve Renard says he will not be pressured into playing El Merreikh striker Jonas Sakuwaha against Sudan on Saturday.

Sakuwaha inspired Sudanese outfit El Merreikh to the 2011 Sudan league crown after scoring 18 goals to also win the gold boot award.

“Sakuwaha is more important than Zambia?" Renard said.

"Me, I don’t care about the name of the player. The player has to show me what he can do and the determination."

Sakuwaha has not played a single game at the Africa Cup since Zambia kicked off their campaign on January 21.

There is a general feeling in Zambia is that Renard must finally play Sakuwaha following his exploits in the Sudanese league.

Sakuwaha joined El Merreikh last year from French club Lorient.