AFCON 2027: Semenyo ruled out of November qualifiers

Ghanaian winger Antoine Semenyo is set to be sidelined for approximately two months after sustaining an injury, ruling him out of Ghana’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers in November 2026.

The Black Stars attacker came on as a substitute as Manchester City secured a 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town in a closely contested clash at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Semenyo replaced Belgian-Ghanaian forward Jeremy Doku in the 77th minute.

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Speaking at a press conference, Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca disclosed that medical scans had revealed that the Ghanaian winger could be out of action for about eight weeks.

“At first, we expected the worst injury, so we were more worried. But after yesterday's scan, we feel much better because it's not, you know, it's not as big as we expected. And again, it could be eight weeks. So, at the moment, the most important thing for him is to recover. And also, when he's back, probably, I don't know, around December, we have, like, a new player in terms of energy,” he said.

Maresca admitted that Semenyo’s absence would affect his selection plans but expressed confidence that other players in the squad could step up to fill the gap.

“It's like collateral, something like this. It's no muscle problem. Yeah, now, first of all, to lose Antoine or any player, for us, it's not good. Then, in terms of Erling, we said that we can use Antoine as a nine, but we also have different players, and we are going to try to find a new solution,” he added.

Semenyo’s injury is a major setback for the Black Stars as they prepare for a double-header against Somalia in November, having lost their opening two matches against The Gambia and Côte d’Ivoire.

Interim head coach Kim Lars Björkegren will now have to rely on other players to strengthen the squad and secure the necessary victories. Failure to do so could see Ghana miss out on AFCON qualification for the second consecutive time.

Watch the video below:

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca says Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo is "probably out for eight weeks" with injury

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