News

Sports

Business

Entertainment

GhanaWeb TV

Africa

Opinions

Country

AFCON 2019: Ayews remain axed; Asamoah Gyan returns for Sierra Leone game

Ayews Swansea Team Dede Ayew and his brother, Jordan Ayew are not part of the squad

Mon, 1 Oct 2018 Source: ghanasoccernet.com

Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah has handed a call-up to captain Asamoah Gyan to shore up his attack for next month's double-header against Sierra Leone but Andre Ayew and his brother Jordan were left out of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Coach Appiah also recalled several long time absentees to his squad for the matches to be played in Kumasi and Freetown as the Black Stars seek a redemption after bombing against Kenya last month.

The Black Stars boss also wielded the axe on some players who failed to live up to expectation in the match against the Harambee Stars notably Raphael Dwamena.

Alaves star Mubarak Wakaso, Turkey-based Bernard Mensah, Hibernian winger Thomas Agyepong, Red Star Belgrade striker Richmond Boakye-Yiadom as well as Columbus Crew defender Jonathan Mensah all return for the match.

Fit-again Emmanuel Boateng returns in the place of his Levante team-mate Dwamena.

The Ayew brothers rift with the coach looks not to have healed as they have been left out of the squad even though both players have excelled for Fenerbahce and Crystal Palace respectively.

Gyan had been omitted from recent call-ups for international matches partly because of his injuries and tactical reasons.

But Appiah feels the experienced Kayserispor man has something to offer especially after his strikers failed to convert scoring chances in the defeat to Harambee Stars.

Gyan has been struggling for game time at club level with just 34 minutes of action time this season but it is agreed that the country's all-time top scorer has not lost the act of goal scoring.

He will join 22 other players to prepare for the first leg in Kumasi on 11 October.

The Black Stars are determined to bounce back after this month ignominious 1-0 defeat to Kenya.

Full Squad:

Goalkeepers: Richard Ofori (Maritzburg United, South Africa), Lawrence Ati Zigi (Sochaux, France), Felix Annan (Asante Kotoko)

Defenders : Harrison Afful (Columbus Crew, USA), Andy Yiadom (Reading FC, England), Lumor Agbenyenu (Sporting Lisbon, Portugal), Jonathan Mensah (Columbus Crew, USA), John Boye (FC Metz, France), Daniel Amartey (Leicester City, England), Nicholas Opoku (Udinese, Italy)

Midfielders : Mubarak Wakaso (Deportivo Alaves, Spain), Isaac Sackey (Alanyaspor, Turkey), Afriyie Acquah (Empoli, Italy), Kwadwo Asamoah (Inter Milan, Italy), Thomas Partey (Atletico Madrid, Spain), Bernard Mensah (Kayserispor, Turkey), Christian Atsu (Newcastle United, England), Thomas Agyepong (Hibernian, Scotland), Nana Ampomah (Waasland-Beveren, Belgium)

Forwards : Asamoah Gyan (Kayserispor, Turkey), Majeed Waris (FC Nantes, France), Emmanuel Boateng (Levante, Spain), Richmond Boakye-Yiadom (Red Star Belgrade, Serbia)

Source: ghanasoccernet.com
Related Articles: