Young winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi has ‘ambitions’ of playing for Ghana, according to his former coach Anthony Hayes.
The former Chelsea attacker spent last season on loan at Charlton Athletic, where Hayes got the best out of him. Rak-Sakyi made 43 appearances, scored 15 goals, and assisted 8. He was named the club’s Player of the Season.
“Jes[urun Rak-Sakyi] has ambitions to play in the Premier League and represent Ghana, to play in the World Cup,” Hayes told The Athletic.
Hayes added that the young player aspires to perform on the big stage, which is why he aims to represent Ghana.
Rak-Sakyi was born in Southwark, England, to Ghanaian parents and has made five appearances for England U-20, scoring one goal, but he remains eligible for Ghana.
The Ghana Football Association, though, has to contact him to start the process to get him to be available for the senior national team, the Black Stars.
The 20-year-old is back at Crystal Palace and is part of the first-team pre-season training ahead of the new season. It’s, however, unclear whether he is part of manager Roy Hodgson’s plans or would be sent out on loan again.
Rak-Sakyi signed a professional contract with Palace in 2021, with the deal set to expire in 2027. He joined the Palace youth team in 2019 after parting ways with Chelsea, where he started his career. In August 2021, Rak-Sakyi made his competitive debut for Palace as a second-half substitute against Chelsea in the Premier League.
