Black Princesses skipper Evelyn Badu has disclosed that his absence affected the performance of her teammates at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Costa Rica.
Badu was ruled out of the tournament due to an ankle injury, having been initially ruled out of the Black Princesses’ first match against the United States.
Ghana failed to reach the knock-out stages for the sixth consecutive time.
"My absence did affect the tactical prowess of my team-mates," Badu told BBC Sport Africa.
"I don't want to compare the women's game to the Black Stars but we all know how we are treated. Women's football needs to be polished, tactically and technically.
"We were in camp for four months preparing for qualifiers but we couldn't play even one international friendly match. We were playing against local teams like Faith Ladies, Army Ladies, and sometimes with boys' academy sides."
Badu was instrumental for Hasaacas Ladies as they reached the final of the inaugural Women's African Champions League last year.