Christian Atsu remains missing but agent says that two pairs of his shoes have been found

Atsu, who plays for Turkish side Hatayspor, is among those who have been buried in the rubble from the earthquakes that hit on February 6.

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Previous reports claimed that Atsu had been pulled from the wreckage, but Hataysor doctor Gurbey Kahveci and agent Nana Sechere said he was still yet to be located.

Sechere said on Tuesday that the 31-year-old is still missing, but two pairs of his shoes have been discovered.

In a thread on Twitter, he said: "It has been nine days since the earthquake and we still have not located Christian.

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"I am at the quake site in Hatay with Christian's family. The scenes are unimaginable and our hearts are broken for all the people affected.

"During my time here we have been able to locate Christian Atsu's exact room location, and we have found two pairs of his shoes.

"Yesterday we received confirmation that thermal imagery was showing signs of up to 5 lives, however, I am told that the only real confirmation of life is through sight, smell and sound, and unfortunately we were not able locate Christian.

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"This is a difficult situation and we are extremely grateful to all the Turkish and foreign rescue teams, local civilians and volunteers for their efforts and response in rescuing survivors. However, we urgently need more resources, including a translator, on the ground.

"Things are moving incredibly slow and as a result of that many rescues are being delayed, and lives are being lost due to the lack of resources available to the workers. It is unfortunate that the club is not on the ground with us, side by side, in the search for Christian.

"Their position and influence, accompanied with their local knowledge would be extremely helpful. We implore the president of the club and mayor of Hatay, Lutfu Savas to provide additional resources to speed up the rescue efforts as a priority."

Atsu joined Hatayspor on an initial one-year deal last summer after previous spells at Porto, Chelsea and Newcastle.

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Two of his teammates, Burak Oksuz and Bertug Yildirim, were also buried in the wreckage but were recovered, with defender Kerim Alici also getting himself out the rubble.

However, Turkish second division goalkeeper Ahmet Eyup Turkaslan sadly lost his life in the disaster, with the total death toll in Turkey and Syria now passing 37,000.