Gary Bowyer believes Ibou Touray could play as high as the Championship

Salford City boss Gary Bowyer has shown utmost confidence in his ever-present left-back, Ibou Touray, saying the Gambian could play as high as the English second division if he set his mind to it.

Bowyer said: “As a footballer, he’s your modern-day fullback, he likes to get forward, he’s got a good left foot and delivers fantastic balls into the box. He’s also a good defender 1v1 and is a valuable member of our team.

“He certainly has the capability to play higher. League One for sure, in my opinion, but then it’ll come down to his desire to set his sights to play Championship football and push himself to keep developing and getting better.”

Touray, who arrived at Salford in 2017, has since become the club’s modern-day record appearance holder, notching his 200th appearance for the club against Bristol Rovers last month.

Touray said: “When I first signed, you don’t look too far ahead, you’re just looking at that one season, but obviously when I got a new contract, I was happy and wanted to impress more, and it’s just kept going.”

He’s since turned himself into an Ammies hero amongst fans, scoring at Wembley in the 2019 National League play-off final and even featuring at an international level for The Gambia on numerous occasions.

Watch his play-off final goal here:

The club’s steady upward trajectory that Touray experienced when he first arrived has flattened out over the last couple of years, with them missing out on the play-offs narrowly in their first two years in the English Football League.

He said: “It’s been really good. When I first came, everything was on the up. We got promoted twice in a row. Since we’ve got to the football league, it’s been a bit up and down.”

After a turbulent season so far, Salford currently sit in 17th position in League Two, nine points outside of the play-off positions, and with the season nearing its halfway mark, time is of the essence when it comes to turning their fortunes around.

But with plenty of football left to play before the close of the 2021-22 season and the full confidence from his manager, Ibou Touray will be hoping to help his side reach the fabled post-season tournament that’s evaded them over the last few years.