Otto Addo left captain Andre Ayew off of his 26-man roster for his first major job as the Black Stars’ head coach, ahead of Ghana’s pivotal 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Mali and Central African Republic.
The former Marseille striker has had difficulty making an impression while wearing the Black Stars uniform, but he has recovered for Le Havre in the French Ligue 1 by scoring six goals and providing an assist in 20 appearances across all competitions.
Thanks to his efforts, the French team finished in 15th place, avoiding relegation fears.
Otto Addo appears to have moved on, though, and is now more focused on developing young talent.
Majeed Ashimeru and Inaki Williams are two more prominent absentees. Baba Iddrisu, Joseph Paintsil, Nathaniel Adjei, Daniel Amartey, and Denis Odoi have all been sidelined as a result of injury.
Meanwhile, Ghana will for the first time in 2024 see Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey back in the squad having last featured in October during the friendlies against the United States and Mexico.
After gaining promotion to the English Premier League with Southampton, Kamaldeen Sulemana has also returned to the Black Stars squad.
Meanwhile, the only local-based player in the squad is Asante Kotoko’s Frederick Asare.
Ibrahim Sulemana as earlier reported by 3Sports has earned his maiden call-up after his impressive season with Cagliari.
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Ghana is set to face Mali on June 6 before taking on the Central African Republic four days later.
The squad will begin their training camp on Thursday, May 30, 2024, at the Legon Stadium, where they will train for six days before departing for the crucial encounter in Mali.
After the match in Mali, they will return to Kumasi, Ghana, to face the Central African Republic (CAR).
These games are vital for the Black Stars, who currently sit fourth in Group I, trailing Comoros, Mali, and Madagascar, who have six, four, and three points respectively.
The Black Stars started their campaign with a win against Madagascar but suffered a defeat against Comoros in their second game.
Otto Addo is therefore tasked to turn things around in the next matches having failed to win a game during the March friendlies against Nigeria and Uganda
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