Ghana coach Chris Hughton has explained why he excluded Spain-based midfielder Baba Iddrisu from his squad for the AFCON qualifiers.
Hughton was unveiled on Monday morning at the SG Mall in Kumasi, and will be in charge of the national team until December 2024.
The former Brighton boss will be assisted by Didi Dramani and George Boateng, who served under Otto Addo during his reign.
Speaking at his unveiling, Hughton admitted it was a tough decision excluding the Real Mallorca star from the squad.
“With regards to Baba Iddrisu, there are so many players in the squad and you have so many decisions to make, and for Baba Iddrisu, we can speak about probably another five, six or seven players that I had to consider closely before making a decision”
“So 25 players in the squad will all be my own personal decisions. There can be tight decisions, if am looking at the players we have in the squad, he will be a great mix but I can tell you, it was a tough decision but as I said, I can only pick 25 players” he said.
Baba Iddrisu missed the 2022 World Cup through injury.
The 63-year-old Englishman has had an illustrious coaching career that spans over three decades, having managed several top-tier clubs in England, including Newcastle United, Birmingham City, and Nottingham Forest.
Before landing the Black Stars, Hughton had served at the technical advisor of the national during the World Cup playoff and the tournament proper in Qatar.
He expected to revive the Black Stars who have failed to impress at major tournaments in recent times.
Ghana failed at the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon and 2022 World Cup in the Asian country.
His first assignment is against Angola in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers. Ghana will host Angola at the Baba Yara Stadium on Thursday before the reverse fixture in Luanda on March 27.
Ghana leads the qualifying group after a draw and a win in their first two games, but Angola is close behind, and two wins will give the Black Stars a solid chance to qualify.