Jeando Fuchs: Cameroon midfielder hoping hard work pays dividends at Peterborough

Jeando Fuchs could not help Peterborough avoid the drop into England's third tier after joining the club in January

Cameroon and Peterborough United midfielder Jeando Fuchs has not given up hope of earning a place in the Indomitable Lions squad for November's World Cup in Qatar.

The 24-year-old was an unused substitute for the first leg of Cameroon's play-off tie against Algeria and has been on the fringes of the national set-up since his debut in 2018.

Fuchs grew up in France and was a youth international for Les Blues, winning the Under-19 European Championship in 2016 alongside Kylian Mbappe.

However, he opted to play for the country of his birth at senior level and is now eager to impress Cameroon coach Rigobert Song.

Asked how he could add to his two caps and secure a spot on the plane to the World Cup, Fuchs told BBC Sport Africa: "I have to work.

"If I have to, well, I'll score some goals because if I score people will talk about it.

"The team (Peterborough) as a whole also has to be performing. If they do people talk about the team and it will be good for me."

Fuchs will be hoping that Peterborough can bounce back after being relegated from the Championship in England to third-tier League One last season.

Tough to make an impact

Fuchs made his debut for Cameroon in 2018, in a friendly against five-time World Cup winners Brazil

The former Sochaux and Alaves player admits that playing in the lower leagues makes it harder for him to make an impact and get noticed by Song.

"It's more difficult because as a midfielder today you have many players playing in top level leagues," he pointed out.

"(Andre-Frank) Zambo Anguissa is in Italy in Napoli, not to mention the likes of Kunde Malong in Greece… lots are playing at a high level.

"So if I want to get a chance, I have to do more and show what I am capable of."

He knows that hard work and dedication are something that Indomitable Lions boss Song appreciates, although he admits the former Liverpool player does not have time to chat to all his players regularly.

"It's encouraging (to work with Song). He keeps telling us that he did not succeed because he was the best footballer, he succeeded as he wanted it more than others," Fuchs said.

"He was fighting with his qualities. We are not going to try to do things that we don't know how to do. You have to know your basics, do the best you can and then try to do more.

"It's a difficult period right now because the World Cup is coming and you have so many players to manage so it's hard to talk to the players one by one and ask them how they are feeling.

"The performances are important. If I deliver, they will call me."

Playing rather than bench-warming

Cameroon-born Fuchs played alongside Kylian Mbappe when France won the 2016 European Under-19 Championship

Fuchs added that he would rather be playing for a less well-known team than sat on the substitutes' bench at a bigger club.

"The most important thing for me is to be playing," he insisted.

"It's the most important thing because if you don't play, nobody sees you and not only that if you don't play you don't get any pleasure."

Fuchs has not let the disappointment of missing out on the 2021 Nations Cup finals on home soil earlier this year dampen his resolve to fight to play for the Indomitable Lions.

"I have had some more difficult moments in my career like when I couldn't play because of injuries," he added.

"Now I am playing again and I am finding stability and I don't expect to have it all in one day - I take my time.

"If I perform with my club I know that I will end up being called so I am not worried, I know I just have to be patient and work."

Fuchs only joined Posh from Dundee United in January, and said he had to up his game following his move from the Scottish Premiership.

"When I arrived from Scotland directly into the Championship, in the first few weeks I thought the players were quicker, more technical and also physically stronger," he said.

"I thought the level was higher and I would need time to adapt. But quickly the club trusted me, the manager trusted me and it really helped me to adapt."

His full concentration is on his performances on the pitch, and he lets his agents deal with any off filed issues such as any potential transfers.

"For now, I have a contract with Peterborough and I let my agent be in charge of this," he said.

"I have noticed in the past that when you try to focus on your football but at the same time try to sort things out outside the pitch, it's not a good mix. It doesn't work.

"You have to focus on what you know - football. Negotiating is not my job."