Hypocrites, pretenders' didn't allow me to enjoy captaining Ghana - Gyan

Veteran Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan has stated he struck a good relationship with team-mate Andre Ayew during the recent Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Egypt.

This is despite controversially losing his captaincy to the Swansea City attacker just before the tournament. Gyan instead blames other forces in causing a rift between the players.

The West Africans hit a rough patch a month before the continental gathering as coach James Appiah decided to strip Gyan of the armband for Ayew, a decision which caused the 33-year-old to sensationally pull the plug on his international career.

Even though the former Sunderland ace rescinded his decision a day later following a plea from Ghana President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, there were fears Gyan and Ayew would struggle to work together to help the Black Stars end a 37-year trophy drought.

"Andre has the qualities. We are different people but he has the qualities to lead," Gyan told Asempa FM.

"We shared ideas severally during our time in Egypt. Andre involved me in every decision.

"We have some senior players in the team and we shared ideas with them as well. We had a cordial relationship."

The concern over Gyan and Ayew's relationship in the Ghana camp also goes back into the past when the latter player was the deputy skipper.

"Since I became captain of the Black Stars [in 2012], I was never allowed to enjoy my reign," Gyan stated.

"Me alone, I never enjoyed my role as a captain. For seven years as a captain, I never enjoyed my tenure.

"Why? So many hypocrites around never allowed me to enjoy."

Gyan currently stands as Ghana's most-capped and all-time top scorer with 51 goals in 109 internationals.

"I know the decision to take the captaincy from me was not a decision of the coach. He was heavily influenced," the striker went on.

"I know and I'm very certain this was not his decision.

"It was a decision taken by some people. I'm not a kid. I know."

Many critics in Ghanaian football blame the local media for driving a wedge between Gyan and Ayew. Gyan isn't a fan of how he has been portrayed in the local media.

"There are journalists when I'm doing positive projects, they never write on their page," he said.

"When I say something negative, they write to generate controversy.

"As I'm doing a U16 gala to help kids, they don't write. When Sadio Mane [of Liverpool and Senegal] built a school, they wrote."

Finally, Gyan reveals he is still "ready for a call-up to the national team" and will be "hurt if he doesn't get a good sendoff from Ghana" should he decide to finally call time on his international career.