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Kudus and Issahaku: Captain Ayew excited by Ghana’s new breed of young talent
The Black Stars skipper shares his thoughts on the new faces in the national set-up
Ghana captain Andre Ayew believes the burst of fine young talent bodes well for the national team.
In their search for an elusive fifth Africa Cup of Nations title, Black Stars coach CK Akonnor has put faith in young talent in the hope of building a formidable set-up.
Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus, Nordsjaelland winger Kamaldeen Sulemana, who has been linked with Manchester United, Liverpool and Ajax, and Steadfast attacker Abdul Fatawu Issahaku are among Ghana’s new wave of exciting stars.
“The talent is there; maybe a bit less experience but the talent, the endeavour, fighting spirit, the desire to do good things are there. I can feel it when I’m with the boys at camp, they are very hungry and motivated,” Ayew said, as reported by Citi Sports.
“[Issahaku], Kudus, Danlad [Ibrahim], all these young guys coming up, they have a bright future but to be successful they need to be able to deal with the pressure.
“I hope that as a squad we will be ready to fulfill what the nation wants.”
Ajax attacker Kudus has made the greatest impact among Ghana’s young talent since making his debut against South Africa in an Afcon qualifier in 2019.
After scoring against Bafana in Cape Coast, the 20-year-old found the back of the net in his third game for the Black Stars, coincidentally against South Africa again, in the Afcon qualifying reverse fixture in Johannesburg, and he went on to provide a pair of assists in the following fixture against Sao Tome and Principe.
Kamaldeen, on the other hand, made his debut in a friendly fixture against Mali last October. After a short time out in the international wilderness, he was handed a recall for a double-header of friendlies against Morocco and Cote d’Ivoire in June but ultimately turned down the invitation as he seeks to finalise his club future.
He is expected to make a comeback when the West Africans return to action in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in September.
Issahaku, meanwhile, has been linked to German side Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool and Portuguese fold Sporting since breaking onto the scene at the Africa U20 Cup of Nations earlier this year. He made the Black Stars’ last two call-up lists but is yet to make his debut for the A side.
