GFA to persuade Gyan for the last time to return

The Ghana Football Association will hold showdown talks with Asamoah Gyan over his return to the national team ahead of the 2013 Afcon qualifier against Malawi.

The 26-year-old striker called temporal time on his international career in the aftermath of the country’s failure to clinch the 2012 African Cup of Nations held in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

He became public enemy number one and received harsh criticisms from soccer fans following his semi-final miss at the continental showpiece against eventual winners Zambia.

He was made the scapegoat and suffered vitriolic abuse on social networking site twitter from Ghana fans who held him solely responsible for their team’s shock 1-0 demise.

Some made various insignia including an obituary on facebook to mock the impressive attacker while others threatened the lives of his family – a situation which prompted his decision to take an indefinite break from international duties.

But after the Black Stars suffered two successive defeats at the hands of the African Champions in a 2014 World Cup qualifier last month, there have been growing calls for sweeping changes to be made to the squad ahead of the next phase of the qualifiers.

Many have craved for the return of the man who netted an incredible 22 goals during his loan spell in the Middle East last term.

There are many others who also believe Gyan’s return will boost the chances of the West African powerhouse to secure a third successive appearance at the World Cup.

The former Rennes man is considered a leading figure in the Ghana camp and expected to play an influential role in the country’s quest to qualify for the 2013 African Cup of Nations in South Africa and crucially the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Football Authorities in the West African country have reportedly tried unsuccessful in the past to persuade him to return to the national team insisting he was still psychologically unfit.

But reports in the local media are claiming on Friday the former Liberty Professionals man is likely to return to the team in September.

“The FA will meet with Asamoah Gyan to discuss his return,” a source at the FA is quoted by 90 Minutes newspaper

‘We are hoping to persuade him for the last time to come back into the team.”

Gyan’s return will be timely for the Black Stars ahead of the first leg of the 2013 African Nations Cup qualifier against the Flames on home soil.