The Ghanaian national football team, the Black Stars, faces a setback with the withdrawal of eight key players ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Angola and Niger.
However, defender Gideon Mensah, who plays for Auxerre, remains optimistic that the replacements will rise to the challenge.
In his comments after a training session on Monday, Mensah acknowledged the impact of the absences but expressed confidence in the depth of the squad.
“For me, I think every player on the national team is crucial to the team. Obviously, we have players that we are always looking to see in the national team, and we have players that are also there to support when the other players are not there.
“It is a big loss for us, but at the end of the day, we also have a team to cover up. I am not really scared about that, but like I said, everybody is crucial to the team, so if one player is not there, another will step in.”
Among those pulling out are English Premier League players Antoine Semenyo and Tariq Lamptey, along with US-based Joseph Painstil, Fenerbahce’s Alexander Djiku, and Jerome Opoku of Istanbul Basaksehir.
Other absentees include Feyenoord’s Ibrahim Osman, Switzerland-based Jonas Adjetey, and striker Inaki Williams.
In response, coach Otto Addo has quickly called up replacements, including Austin FC winger Osman Bukari, Terry Yegbe of IF Elfsborg, Kingsley Schindler, Ransford-Yeboah Konigsdorffer, Forson Amankwah, and Ebenezer Annan.
The Black Stars are set to travel to Luanda on Wednesday, aiming to secure a strong result against Angola in Friday’s qualifier.
