Kudus’ injury forces him out of friendlies

Mohammed Kudus’ injury occurred in March on the eve of Ghana’s friendlies against fellow Africans, Nigeria and Uganda.

It was a shoulder injury and he sustained it in West Ham’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa. A game where the spoils were shared.

The talented West Ham attacker was named in Otto Addo’s 26-man squad for the game, but he missed the two fixtures due to the injury. Kudus’ absence was however made available by sources close to the Black Stars team.

Although he completed the full 90 minutes of the match against Aston Villa at the London Stadium, Kudus reportedly experienced pain post-match.

Notably, Kudus was absent from West Ham’s list of players scheduled for the international break, indicating his need to remain in London for recovery.

This setback adds to Kudus’ injury struggles this year, having arrived at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with a hamstring problem that sidelined him for the opening game against Cape Verde.

Despite this, he significantly impacted his return, scoring crucial goals against Egypt and earning plaudits for his performances.

Since the tournament, Kudus has been a standout performer for West Ham, but this latest injury warrants caution. Kudus joins defender Nathaniel Adjei in withdrawing from the squad due to discomfort.

Kudus’ injury leaves coach Otto Addo with no option than to call on  Issahaku, Jordan Ayew, Dede, and the others to get the job done.

Mohammed Kudus’ injury forces him out of friendlies 

Ghana’s first friendly was against long-time rival Nigeria: who they defeated to qualify for the 2022 world cup that was held in Qatar. It was played on the 22nd of march in Morocco.

The Black stars went on to lose the game with a 2-1 score line. Jordan was the scorer of this lone goal, and it came in the dying minutes of extra with little time left for Ghana to stage a comeback. Apparently, Kudus’ injury stole the victory from the Stars.

The second friendly was also played in Morocco. It was against East Africans, Uganda. The Black stars led 2-1 for the entirety of the game, only for the Ugandans to draw level on the 82’ minute of the game.

Not long after the equaliser, Mohammed Salisu was shown a red card which shifted the game In favour of the East Africans. However, the Black Stars held on and the game ended in a 2-2 draw.

Knowing Kudus and the impact he has had in big games for the Black stars, it’s comfortable to say, Ghana would have won both games if he featured. Sadly he missed out due to the shoulder injury.