Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah says Asamoah Gyan must prove in training that he is capable of destroying Guinea Bissau before he hands the legendary striker a starting role in Tuesday’s decisive 2019 Africa Cup of Nations match.
The trainer has come under pressure to use the tested striker in the final Group F match in Suez as the Black Stars have struggled to impress after two matches in the competition.
Gyan has already told Kwesi Appiah that he can count him to score the goals against Guinea Bissau to ensure Ghana reach the knock-out phase of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
The striker has remained rooted on the bench of the Black Stars as Ghana remain winless at the tournament after they were held to a 0-0 draw by Group F leaders Cameroon at the Ismailia Stadium on Saturday.
Kwesi Appiah’s side could only manage a 2-2 draw against Benin in their opening game and they were frustrated again versus a Cameroon side who move on to four points at the group’s summit.
Ghana came agonisingly close to sealing all three points in the closing stages when substitute Owusu Kwabena’s powerful drive crashed back off the crossbar.
However, they are under pressure when they face Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday in their final group game.
Cameroon, meanwhile, are in pole position to qualify for the last 16 and face Benin on the same day.
With Benin tied on points with Ghana, the Black Stars must win the match against Guinea Bissau and Gyan who has rescued Ghana on many occasions at the tournament is confident he will rise to the occasion again.
Despite the criticism for not starting Gyan, Appiah insists he will only select players to start the match based on what he will see at the training of the national team on Monday night before deciding on his selection.
“I don’t think we will have a lot of changes. I believe Gyan. No one has believed in Gyan more than me,” the Ghana coach said at his base in Suez.
“The most important thing is we have training sessions and every coach assesses how the training goes and chooses players for a particular game so it depends on how he performs in training.”
Ghana are under pressure when they face Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday in their final group game.
