Abass Issah to model his game after Mane

Former Ghana U-17 striker Abass Issah held his first training with German Bundesliga side Mainz O5 since joining from Slovenian club Olimpija Ljubljana.

The 19-year-old signed a five year deal with Mainz in the summer and he is expected to be involved in a training friendly against TuS Koblenz on Thursday morning.

Ahead of the game, the Ghanaian has indicated that several players influence his style of play but he always learns from Liverpool and Senegal star Sadio Mane.

He however, strangely added Genaro Gatusso as a football mentor.

"I like to play behind the striker or on the left side, but I am comfortable in all positions,” said Abass, who says he tries to imitate Liverpool superstar Sadio Mané. “I can learn a lot from him. He always fights for the ball and we are similar players.”

Curiously though, the attacker says that Italian World Champion and Champions League winner Gennaro Gattuso was his favourite player as a kid. “At first, you would think I was crazy, but he always wanted to have the ball, just like me. I like the way he plays and went after lost balls."

Abass's expectations for his time at Mainz are that he can get game time and win a lot of games. “I'm very confident, I always hold my head high, I want to stay focused, train well and then everything else should fall into place naturally."