A TOP Ghanaian physical trainer says the country’s national team captain, Dede Ayew, is not “fit enough” to play against Zimbabwe in not only October’s double-header World Cup qualifiers with the Warriors, but the entire campaign.
The four-time African champions will host Zimbabwe in Cape Coast on 9 October before travelling to Harare for the return fixture on 12 October.
Ghana, who will be under new coach Milovan Rajevac – the Serbian who is in his second spell in charge of the Black Stars – have named a strong squad in the quest to breathe life into their 2022 World Cup qualification campaign following a slow start that has cause public uproar in the football-mad West African country and triggered the sacking of coach Charles Akonnor.
Physician Totti Laryea, meanwhile, had declared skipper and star forward Ayew unfit for the clash with Zimbabwe.
31-year-old former Swansea City winger Ayew, who now turns out for Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd, was included in the Black Stars’ 32-man training squad drafted by Rajevac.
This is despite that Ajew, whose club is coached by Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez, has been in goal-scoring form in the Qatari league.
“Dede Ayew is not fit, he needs a special physical trainer to help him gain his stamina,” Laryea told Radio Universe this week.
“He is the captain so he must work extra hard …when Stephen Appiah was the captain, he worked extra hard. It’s a wrong move to go and play in Asia. Training in Asia as a footballer is not effective like being in Europe. Even the training in Mexico is very effective than Asia.”– STAFF WRITER.
