Injury forces Gideon Mensah out of AFCON qualifier

Black Stars left-back, Gideon Mensah, has been ruled out of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Madagascar in Antananarivo due to injury.

The 24-year-old was initially named in the 25-man squad invited to camp by Coach Chris Hughton but will now miss the crucial match.

The medical team of the Black Stars made the decision to excuse Mensah from the game after assessing a knee injury he sustained during the Ligue 1 season. Despite his French club, AJ Auxerre, managing the injury conservatively until the end of the season, further evaluation in camp on Monday led to the conclusion that he should be sidelined to avoid aggravating the injury.

"Gideon picked up a knee injury during the season, but his club managed him conservatively until the end of the season. Upon assessment in camp on Monday, we decided to excuse him from this game in order not to aggravate the injury," explained Dr Prince Pambo, head of the Black Stars medical team, as reported by ghanafa.org. 
He also expressed optimism that Mensah would have sufficient rest during the break to recover in time for the next season.

 Mensah made his international debut for the Black Stars against South Africa in 2019 and has since represented the national team in one Africa Cup of Nations tournament. He was also part of the squad that competed in the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar.