Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) technical director Francis Oti Akenteng has hailed new Ajax Amsterdam acquisition Mohammed Kudus for breaking Ghana's transfer record for a teenager.
Last week, the 19-year-old, a product of the Right to Dream Academy in Ghana, completed a five-year move to the Eredivisie giants from Danish fold Nordsjaelland.
The deal was worth a reported €9 million.
“To be frank, Kudus' move to Ajax is a good one. It is good for himself, the country, his former club FC Nordsjaelland and most importantly Right to Dream Academy. In fact, his move serves as a motivational factor to the rest of the academies," Akenteng told Bryt FM.
“Now people who will like to venture into the academy will happily do it because they know that if you do your work very well, you will definitely get somewhere.
“I remember Nordsjaelland invited me to Denmark and I had the opportunity to meet Kudus. I spent about five days there and had talks with the Ghanaian players at their fold before I came to Ghana. I also had the opportunity to be with him at the Ghana U20 team although the entire team did not do well but everybody saw his potential.
“He is a boy who has been lucky, playing from the U17, U20 and to the Black Stars. When he came to the Black Stars, I was in camp with them and I did my best to prop him up and I am very happy to see that this boy has matured and now breaking the transfer [record] for a teenager, it is not a small thing.”
After progressing from representing Ghana at the 2017 Fifa U17 World Cup in India, Kudus represented Ghana at the 2019 Africa U20 Cup of Nations in Niger where the Black Satellites failed to qualify from the group stage.
In November last year, the attacking midfielder was rewarded with a call-up to Ghana's senior national team for a 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying double-header against South Africa and Sao Tome and Principe on the back of a run of fine performance for club side Nordsjaelland.
It was a remarkable debut against South Africa as the Accra-born netted as a second-half substitute to ensure the 2-0 triumph in Cape Coast.
He made 25 appearances and scored 11 goals for the Wild Tigers in the Danish Super Liga this season.