Sports News of Friday, 3 March 2023

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Five returnees to expect in Chris Hughton's Black Stars squad for Angola doubleheader

Black Stars midfielder, Mubarak Wakaso Black Stars midfielder, Mubarak Wakaso

The Black Stars will be in action in a few weeks when they take on Angola in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

New manager, Chris Hughton is expected to name his squad for the doubleheader in the last but one week of March 2023.

The list could see some familiar faces who have been absent from the Black Stars for a while or missed out on the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Some of the said players are either in good form or in better shape in terms of fitness than they were prior to the World Cup.

Here are the five returnees to expect in Chris Hughton's first call-up

Joseph Paitsil

Joseph Paintsil is on form and is currently the best Ghanaian attacker in Europe. He has 12 goals and 12 assists in 26 games in all competitions.

He has been in blistering form since the start of the season and was one of the surprise omissions from Ghana's 2022 World Cup squad.

New manager Chris Hughton could ensure he’s back into the team for the AFCON qualifiers.

Jojo Wollacott

Ghana's first-choice goalkeeper, Jojo Wollacott missed the 2022 FIFA World Cup due to injury.

He has returned to full fitness but is yet to be in the post. His last action dates back to October 2022.

However, he could be handed a call-up to the Black Stars for the qualifiers to hand him some minutes.

Baba Iddrissu

Real Mallorca midfielder, Baba Iddrissu has returned to action after an injury ruled him out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

He could make his return to the squad for the qualifiers.

Mubarak Wakaso

Mubarak Wakaso has been a core member of Black Stars for a long while but has been on the peripherals in recent months because he was unattached.

He is back in active football after joining FC Eupen in the Belgium Pro League in August.

Wakaso missed the 2022 World Cup but could be in the AFCON qualifiers after having some minutes under his belt in his new club.

Felix Afena Gyan

Cremonese striker, Felix Afena Gyan played a key role in Ghana's qualification for the World Cup.

Nonetheless, he was left out of the final squad for the tournament in Qatar. He is currently enjoying some game time at Cremonese after struggling in his first few months.

Afena-Gyan could be back in the squad for the qualifiers due to his decent game time in recent weeks.

EE/KPE