Otto Addo confident in Black Stars depth despite key injury setbacks
Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has acknowledged that the absence of several key players ahead of Ghana’s crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against the Central African Republic (CAR) is a blow, but remains confident in the quality of their replacements.
The Black Stars will be without Inaki Williams and Tariq Lamptey, who both picked up injuries prior to the October international break. The duo joins Abdul Mumin and Ernest Nuamah, who have been sidelined for an extended period.
Despite the setbacks, Addo insists the squad still possesses enough strength and balance to compete at the highest level, praising the form and readiness of new call-up Brandon Thomas-Asante, who replaced Inaki Williams.
“It’s always a loss if we have to replace players but to be honest, in a lucky situation, we have a lot of good players,” Addo said at the pre-match press conference.
“There are others also who could have been brought, but Brandon was accessible. He plays in Europe. There are even other players playing further away and other players in Europe also who are performing. It’s also not easy for me to make this decision but Brandon had really, really good weeks. The last weeks were very, very good. He had a lot of assists, a lot of goals, and he played well so he deserves to be here as well. I’m really, really sorry for Inaki and I hope that he gets well soon.”
The Ghana coach also expressed optimism about the return of long-term absentees while highlighting the growing competition for spots in the national team.
“Also, we have long-term injuries with Mumin, with Ernest Nuamah. I’m just praying for them to get back and surely it will make my work difficult to decide who comes to the squad or not but this is what we want. We want the best possible squad. The current situation is pushing each player.”
Addo concluded by stressing that Ghana’s squad depth gives the technical team flexibility even when key players are unavailable.
“This is what we want. Like I said, we are in a situation where we can replace an experienced top player like Inaki with also a good player, very, very in form like Brandon Thomas.”
The Black Stars will take on the Central African Republic on Wednesday, October 8, in Meknes, Morocco, before returning home to face Comoros on October 12 in the final group fixture of the World Cup qualifiers.
