Ghana delay naming World Cup squad

CARDIFF, June 1 : Ghana plan to announce their World Cup squad on Tuesday, among the last countries to do so as they juggle last-minute injury concerns before finalising their 26-man selection, officials said on Monday.

Centre back Alexander Djiku was hurt in training over the weekend and replaced by Dutch-born Derrick Luckassen in a last-minute change before FIFA’s deadline for submitting the squads on Monday.

Coach Carlos Queiroz confirmed Djiku’s withdrawal at a press conference on Monday before Ghana’s friendly against Wales in Cardiff on Tuesday but did not name the 26-man squad as had been expected.

Instead, officials told Reuters the names would only be made public on Tuesday.

Hours before the Monday deadline, World Cup squads were also still awaited from Jordan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.

Ghana have already been hit by the absence of key midfielder Mohammed Kudus after he failed to recover from a thigh injury in a major blow to the country’s World Cup hopes.

Kudus’s recovery in time for next week’s start of the tournament in Canada, Mexico, and the United States had been a long shot after injury to a quad muscle in January in action for Tottenham Hotspur and then subsequent surgery.

Centre back Mohammed Salisu also misses out after the Monaco centre back ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in a Ligue 1 clash in January.

But the squad will see a return after a three-year absence of 31-year-old fullback Baba Abdul Rahman. The ex-Chelsea player was in the squad at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but featured in only one more international for Ghana since. 

The Black Stars face Panama on June 17 in Toronto in their opening Group L encounter before taking on England and Croatia.

Expected squad:

Goalkeepers: Joseph Anang (St Patrick’s Athletic), Benjamin Asare (Hearts of Oak), Lawrence Ati-Zigi (St Gallen)

Defenders: Jonas Adjetey (VfL Wolfsburg), Derrick Luckassen (Pafos), Gideon Mensah (AJ Auxerre), Abdul Mumin (Rayo Vallecano), Jerome Opoku (Istanbul Basaksehir), Kojo Oppong Preprah (Nice), Baba Abdul Rahman (PAOK Salonika), Alidu Seidu (Stade Rennaise), Marvin Senaya (Auxerre)

Midfielders: Augustine Boakye (Saint Etienne), Abdul Fatawu Issahaku (Leicester City), Elisha Owusu (AJ Auxerre), Thomas Partey (Villarreal), Kwasi Sibo (Real Oviedo), Kamal Deen Sulemana (Atalanta), Caleb Yirenkyi (Nordsjælland)

Forwards: Prince Kwabena Adu (Viktoria Plzen), Jordan Ayew (Leicester City), Christopher Bonsu Baah (Al Qadisiah), Ernest Nuamah (Olympique Lyonnais), Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City), Brandon Thomas-Asante (Coventry City), Inaki Williams (Athletic Bilbao).

(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town)