Black Meteors coach Ibrahim Tanko has moved to boost his squad with some foreign-based players ahead of their 2019 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations first round qualifying tie with Togo.
The Ghana U-23s began preparations for the two-legged tie on November 30. And Tanko has not been enthused by the conditioning of the home-based contingent of the squad who have lacked competitive action as a result of the halt of local football in the country since June.
Coupled with the late start of the Ghana U-23s’ preparations for the already delayed fixture with their Togolese counterparts, the coach pressed for the inclusion of qualified players featuring for clubs abroad, most of whom have been trooping into town for Christmas holidays.
Footy-Ghana.com can confirm that the team’s camp was boosted by the arrival of striker Joel Fameyeh, midfielder Isaac Twum and Gideon Mensah on Monday while a couple more could join before they relocate to Kumasi for the December 18 first leg clash.
Fameyeh, 21 scored 7 goals in 24 games as Dinamo Brest finished 6th in the recently ended 2018 Belarusian Premier League. He also made three appearances before they got eliminated from the ongoing Uefa Europa League.
Twum, who captained Ghana to the 2017 Wafu Cup title, finished his first season with Norwegian side IK Start with 13 out of 30 league games as they suffered relegation from the top flight.
Gideon Mensah, a former WAFA SC defender now owned by Austrian giants Red Bull Salzburg, is on loan at lower tier side FC Liefering. The 20-year-old made 7 league appearances from 15 before the mid-season break on November 28.
It is understood that former WAFA SC striker Samuel Tetteh, who also plays in Austria, is being lined up to help the team with his experience likewise midfielder Majeed Ashimeru whose arrival may have to be deferred for the second leg encounter due to club commitment. His Swiss club St. Gallen play their final game of the year on December 16 before going on Christmas holidays till February 2019.
Ghana host Togo in a first leg at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, Kumasi on December 18 with the reverse scheduled for Lomé four days later
The winner of this tie on aggregate faces Gabon in the second round of the 2019 U-23 Afcon qualifiers in March next year.
