Mohammed Kudus
Ghana will be without the services of Mohammed Kudus for their upcoming international friendlies against Nigeria and Uganda this month.
The talented West Ham midfielder will be sidelined due to a shoulder issue, ruling him out of contention for the matches.
Initially named in Otto Addo’s 26-man squad for the fixtures in Morocco, Kudus will now miss out as he deals with the shoulder discomfort.
Reports suggest that his jersey number 20 has been reassigned to another player in the Black Stars camp.
“Kudus is nursing a shoulder discomfort following last weekend’s Premier League game for West Ham against Aston Villa,” a source close to the Black Stars was quoted by 3Sports.
Although he completed the full 90 minutes of the match against Aston Villa at the London Stadium, Kudus reportedly experienced pain post-match.
Notably, Kudus was absent from West Ham’s list of players scheduled for the international break, indicating his need to remain in London for recovery.
This setback adds to Kudus’ injury struggles this year, having arrived at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with a hamstring problem that sidelined him for the opening game against Cape Verde.
Despite this, he made a significant impact upon his return, scoring crucial goals against Egypt and earning plaudits for his performances.
Since the tournament, Kudus has been a standout performer for West Ham, but this latest setback warrants caution, especially with the upcoming friendly matches.
Kudus joins defender Nathaniel Adjei in withdrawing from the squad due to discomfort.
His absence could potentially affect Ghana’s prospects in the friendlies, with the team scheduled to face Nigeria on March 22 and Uganda four days later, both matches taking place in Marrakech, Morocco.