Head Coach of the Black Stars Chris Hughton has asserted that the team’s major goal is to qualify for the next African Cup Of Nation tournament.
The game is scheduled for Cote d’Ivoire which kicks off on January 13, 2024, with the final set for February 11, 2024. The Black Stars of Ghana have intensified their training sessions ahead of the African Cup Of Nation qualifier against Madagascar.
Speaking to the media after the training session, Head Coach Chris Hughton stated the team is also well aware of the task ahead.
”They know that the end of the challenge is AFCON 2024. This is the goal so that is the starting position, my responsibility is just to reaffirm that with them, to get them together as a group,”
He further commended the team’s attitude in camp. According to him, the team’s morale praiseworthy.
”It is always good to see the players because obviously, we haven’t seen them from the last camp. Whenever they get together they are all good friends, some of them go back a long way but they can’t see each other over a period of time. So generally the morale in camp is very good.”
Ghana has suffered some injury setbacks, with Iñaki Williams, Alexander Djiku and Gideon Mensah, missing the game.
However, Chris Hughton claimed he still has the squad depth to get the necessary results against Madagascar in Antananarivo on June 18.
”I have always been impressed with the level of commitment and quality that we have in training. In most cases it makes life a little more difficult for the coach because as a head coach, I have to pick a team and that can be part and parcel, It can be from what I already know or from something I see in training that makes me think a little bit different.”
Vice-captain Thomas Partey joined his teammates for Tuesday’s training session after missing the first training session the team had on Monday. The Medical department of the Black Stars has ruled out the possibility of left-back Gideon Mensah featuring for the team against Madagascar, taking the number to three injury situations in the camp.
Ghana will be jetting off to Madagascar on Thursday needing a win to secure qualification for next year’s TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
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Story by | Rashad Usman Sinah |universnews.ug.edu.gh
