Due to an injury, Black Stars winger Kamaldeen Sulemana may miss Ghana’s critical encounter against Central African Republic (CAR) in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
The Southampton attacker is nursing a muscular ailment that has kept him out of the Saints’ first two Championship games.
Due to the severity of the injury, it is expected that he may not recover in time to represent Ghana in the crucial match, despite club coach Russel Martin having provided an encouraging report on his recuperation.
“Kamaldeen had a muscle injury and that is hard. He’s been away for the last few days getting some specialist treatment as it’s been a busy physio room and I’ve had to prioritise performance. It was agreed he would go and do that and he’s happy with that, he will come back with renewed energy and vigour at some point next week – but his situation is also still the same,” Martin said.
“He is our player and we want him as fit as we possibly can to try and help us on the pitch. In the meantime, it is what it is.”
The 21-year-old joined Southampton in the Premier League in January but was unable to help them retain their top-flight place despite a strong final-day performance that included two fantastic goals from the Ghanaian in an entertaining 4-4 draw with Liverpool.
Sulemana’s seat might potentially be filled by Ernest Nuamah, Osman Bukari, or Ransford-Yeboah Konigsdorffer.
Ghana is hoping to avoid defeat in their last AFCON qualification match in order to secure a spot in the tournament, which is scheduled for next year in Ivory Coast.
After five qualification matches, Ghana leads Group E with nine points, followed by Angola on eight points and CAR on seven points.
