Chris Hughton gives reason on why he ignored local players

Black Stars head coach, Chris Hughton has explained why he has yet to hand call-ups to local players since taking over the role.

The 64-year-old has been in charge since March this year and has named two squads for the AFCON Qualifiers which have not included any local players, despite visiting some Ghana Premier League venues to watch games.

His recent call-ups for the AFCON Qualifier against Madagascar in June raised questions yet again about the exclusion of local players, despite injuries to some key players in the team.

Many were hoping the former Nottingham Forest gaffer would introduce some of these players to replace the injured members of the squad, however he has opted for foreign-based players.

Speaking in a video by KB TV on YouTube, Hughton said his aim to keep a balance and ensure consistency within the current squad informed his decision, but expressed his willingness to consider local players in the future.

“In the period of time I’ve been around, I’ve seen most of the teams. Probably at this stage, it’s about getting a feel for the league,” Hughton expressed. “The level of the league, the better players. Trying to get the whole picture as opposed to just some individuals. In this process when we come up with the individual players, the balance is always what I have.”

“At this moment, we’re trying to find the right balance of keeping the consistency of what we’ve had. We, of course, have a lot of players playing in Europe, and there are also a lot of players in Europe who haven’t played. So, it’s just for me to try and get this balance,” Hughton said.

The Black Stars take on Madagascar on June 18, 2023 as they look to secure qualification to the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cote D’Ivoire next year.