... Offered backroom staff role in South Africa

Accra, May 27, GNA - Black stars midfielder, Michael Essien has been ruled out of the South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup. According to the official website of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), an evaluation by a combined team of medical experts from the GFA and Chelsea Football Club in Paris, France, revealed that Essien will not make full recovery until the end of July.

The Chelsea midfielder has not tasted action since aggravating his knee injury at training during the Orange Africa Cup of Nations in Angola early this year.

The news will serve a major blow to the Black Stars technical team with doubts lingering on the fitness level of key players including Richard Kingson, John Mensah and Emmanuel Agyemang Badu.

"The GFA wishes him full recovery and a quick return to football action," the statement added.

Essien becomes the first player to drop out of the provisional 30-man squad of the Black Stars for the first ever World Cup to be staged on African soil.

The hardworking midfielder last played for the Black Stars as a second half substitute during the team's 1-3 loss to their Ivorian counterparts at the Angola 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.

Essien played an integral part in Black Stars' maiden participation at the Mundial four years ago in Germany but missed out on the second round clash with Brazil due to suspension.

The Black Stars will play Serbia, Australia and Germany at the group phase of the World Cup in South Africa.

Meanwhile, head coach Milovan Rajevac is expected to name his final 23-man squad on June 1, 2010