Agyemang-BaduFormer Ghana midfielder Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu believes the return of Mohammed Kudus and Alexander Djiku will give the Black Stars a significant boost ahead of their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.The duo missed Ghana’s 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign through injury but have been recalled for this month’s Group C qualifiers against Cte d’Ivoire and The Gambia.Agyemang-Badu said Kudus’ presence would be particularly important with Thomas Partey unavailable for the upcoming fixtures.”I think we need him at this particular time,” he said.”Especially in this kind of game, when you are missing somebody like Partey, you need this kind of character to lead the team.”The former Udinese midfielder also expressed confidence that Kudus is fit enough to contribute after his recent injury setback.”For the club to allow him to come means that he’s strong and gradually coming up,” he added.”I don’t know the standard level of his fitness, but still, I think we need him.”Agyemang-Badu also welcomed Djiku’s return, saying the experienced centre-back brings much-needed composure to Ghana’s defence.”Everybody knows him,” he said.”Unfortunately, before the World Cup, he got injured, but he came back and he was playing. We need the maturity at the back of our defence as well. So, it’s good for the team that both are here.”Ghana begin their qualifying campaign away to Cte d’Ivoire on Thursday, 24 September, before hosting The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on 29 September.The Black Stars will then face Morocco in an international friendly on 4 October.
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