Ghana coach, CK Akonnor has explained the inclusion of Jonathan Mensah in his 30 man squad.
The Columbus Crew captain has returned to the Black Stars squad for the first time in about a year to bolster the squad World Cup qualifier against Ethiopia and South Africa.
The team is due to play a doubleheader in September 3 at the Cape Coast Stadium and September 6 in Johannesburg.
According to the 47-year-old, the injury to Nicholas Opoku has given an opportunity for Mensah to be called.
Besides, the coach said the excellent performance by the 2009 Under-20 World Cup-winning star for his club in recent times has made it difficult for him to be overlooked.
Akonnor also said even though Mensah has been out of the team for about a year now he was happy to hand him another opportunity to be part of the team.
“Jonathan Mensah has been out of the team for about a year now but he is back because he’s been very consistent with his performance with Columbus Crew," he said during the unveiling of his 30 man squad.
"He is done so well and I think he replacement… maybe I will say that we know that Nicholas Opoku is injured.
"He’ll be back maybe January or February and so we need another strong person to fill that void and Jonathan Mensah is in and we are happy he is with us," he added.