|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Ghana’s Black Stars have announced their final squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, with several top players missing out due to various reasons.
Coach Chris Hughton has named a 27-man squad for the tournament, which kicks off on January 13, 2024, in Ivory Coast. However, several prominent players have been left out due to injuries, personal reasons, and poor club form.
Among those missing out are;
Thomas Partey (Arsenal): The Arsenal midfielder, a key figure in the Black Stars, will miss the tournament due to injury. Despite returning to training, his last match was in October, and his fitness isn’t expected to be tournament-ready.
Baba Rahman (PAOK): Opting out for personal reasons, left-back Baba Rahman, who plays for PAOK, will not be part of the squad for AFCON 2023.
Fatawu Issahaku (Leicester City): Despite enjoying success at club level with Leicester City and becoming a key player in their Premier League pursuit, the young talent has chosen to stay behind, uncertain about opportunities at AFCON.
Tariq Lamptey (Brighton): Another casualty due to injury, right-back Tariq Lamptey from Brighton will not be featuring in the tournament.
Kamaldeen Sulemana (Southampton): Sulemana, the Southampton winger, is also ruled out of AFCON 2023 due to injury.
Edmund Addo (Red Star Belgrade): Midfielder Edmund Addo has been dropped from the squad due to poor club form with Red Star Belgrade.
Abdul Manaf Nurudeen (K.A.S Eupen): The goalkeeper is set to miss out due to injury concerns.
Despite these absences, the Black Stars are still expected to put up a strong performance at the tournament. They will face Egypt, Mozambique, and Cape Verde in the group stage, with hopes of advancing to the knockout stages and making a deep run in the competition.
The Black Stars have a rich history in the Africa Cup of Nations, having won the tournament four times, and they will be looking to add to that tally this year.