Queiroz explains why Kudus opted out of Ghana’s AFCON qualifiers

Posted by Enoch Nyamson

2 hours ago

Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz has explained the decision to allow Mohammed Kudus to withdraw from the Black Stars squad ahead of the team’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Côte d’Ivoire and The Gambia.

Kudus was initially named in Queiroz’s 24-man squad for the September international window but has opted out as he continues his recovery and works towards regaining full fitness and form with Tottenham Hotspur.

The decision comes shortly after the 26-year-old returned to competitive action following a lengthy injury lay-off.

Kudus came off the bench at half-time in Tottenham’s 3-2 Premier League defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday and immediately made an impact, setting up Conor Gallagher for Spurs’ first league goal of the season after cutting the ball back from the byline.

He had also made his first start since January in Tottenham’s Carabao Cup defeat to Liverpool earlier in the week.

The Ghanaian had been sidelined for seven months after suffering a significant quad injury in January and missed Ghana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign as a result.

Queiroz initially included Kudus in the squad after monitoring his recovery and return to competitive football. However, further observations and discussions led the coach to conclude that the player needed more time before returning to international duty.

Explaining the decision during his first meeting with the press after his reappointment, Queiroz said: “On the course of our decisions we have the club games and we national team coaches, we can’t control the decisions of coaches [in clubs]. In the course of our observations and conversations, it looked like Kudus was moving in the right direction and I had to make the decisions with the matches.”

The Portuguese coach added that Kudus’ latest appearance provided additional information about his physical condition.

“I was able to scout and make the right observations but later on other information about the stage of the player after he played about 70 minutes, unfortunately he was not progressing in the direction we expect,” Queiroz said.

He explained that the final decision was reached after further discussions with the player.

“So in our final conversation with Kudus we realized the best decision is to protect his progress,” he added.

Kudus’ withdrawal means his long-awaited return to the Black Stars has been delayed as he continues his rehabilitation and recovery at Tottenham.

His last appearance for Ghana came on October 12, 2025, when he scored the winning goal in the 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Comoros in Accra.

The Black Stars will face Côte d’Ivoire in Bouaké on September 24 before hosting The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on September 29. Ghana will then play Morocco in an international friendly on October 4.

For Queiroz, the priority is now to ensure Kudus completes his recovery properly, with the coach making it clear that protecting the player’s progress is more important than rushing his return to the national team.

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