Christian Atsu still part of Black Stars – Akonnor

Reports of winger Christian Atsu retiring from the Black Stars have been rubbished by coach CK Akonnor.

Atsu is alleged to have notified Akonnor of his decision to quit the Black Stars over what he believes to be neglect by the association.

The report claimed that in the aftermath of his injury at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt, the FA abandoned him hence his decision to leave the team.

But Akonnor says those stories are false and must be treated with contempt.

He confirmed having a conversation with Atsu earlier this year but denied discussing his future with the team.

According to Akonnor, Atsu was succinct in his commitment to the team and assured that he will return once he is passed fit to play football.

He added that following the report of the retirement, he reached out to Atsu’s agent who also made it clear to him the player remains committed to the course of the national team and has never contemplated quitting.

“It’s not true that Atsu has retired from the Black Stars. We spoke at length but we did not have a discussion on him retiring from the national team,” Coach Akonnor recalled.

“We agreed to give him some time to recover because he is struggling with that knee injury and I cannot ask him to come to Ghana to play again when he even travels across Europe to seek treatment. I have also been a player before and I know what he is going through; it’s something very serious.

Akonnor also emphasized the importance of Atsu to the team and hoped that he will get back soon.

“He (Atsu) is a good player and once he recovers he will be invited.”