Stoke midfielder, Giannelli Imbula has spoken out on his sadness and anger after missing out on a place in the DR Congo squad for the African Cup of Nations. 

Imbula didn't receive the necessary clearance in time to be named in the squad for the tournament set to be held over the summer.

In a message on his personal Twitter account, Imbula wrote a statement expressing his emotions and reaction to not being named in the squad.

"It is with a mixture of sadness and anger that I write these few lines,

"It has been more than a month since I agreed to wear the Democratic Republic of Congo jersey.

The 26-year-old revealed that he had been working hard in the off-season to be fit in time to represent DR Congo, and was only informed on Tuesday that he wouldn't be involved after his file wasn't updated.

"It's been many weeks that I have been preparing myself physically and mentally to be in the best condition to deliver my best form at the Africa Cup of Nations.

"But today (Tuesday) I was told early in the afternoon that my file was not up to date and that I could not participate with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He'll be turning his attention to pre-season with Stoke now, and will be hoping to play his part as they look to return to the Premier League after a poor league campaign last season.

The Verdict: 

I'm surprised by this.

It's obviously going to be hugely frustrating for Imbula to not be named in the squad, especially if he had an agreement in place previously.

He'll be hoping to put this behind him now and focus on a well-earned rest ahead of the new season with Stoke that gets underway in August.