Ghana midfielder Salis Abdul Samed has sustained an injury in the French Ligue 1 which could rule him out of the clash against the Central African Republic in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
The midfielder suffered a sprained ankle injury as RC Lens suffered a 3-1 defeat to champions Paris Saint Germain on Saturday. The 23-year-old for the first time in many competitive matches failed to complete 90 minutes as he got replaced by Stijn Spierings after 45 minutes.
The injury was confirmed by the coach of RC Lens Franck Haise raising doubts about his availability for the Black Stars’ crucial game which comes off on September 7.
“In his case [Salis Abdul Samed], he does have a sprain. I’m uncertain about the severity at this point, but I know it originated from the incident at the outset,” Haise stated during a post match-interview.
Salis Samed has been a key member of the Black Stars for the past year, hence his potential absence from the squad, which coach Chris Hughton has not yet revealed, might be concerning.
Samed has been a frequent contributor in the qualifiers as well, appearing in all three games under Hughton, while also having played all three games for the Black Stars in the 2022 World Cup.
Hughton would need to evaluate Salis’ predicament before naming his final team, which is anticipated to be announced soon with Elisha Owusu and other options as potential replacements.
