Striker Abdul Majeed Warris could be left out of the Ghana squad for the world cup if he fails to recover before 15th June, a day before Ghana’s first world cup game.
FIFA allows for teams to make changes to their squads in the event of an injury, but after 15th June no change can be made to the Black Stars squad.
Warris, who has been an integral part of the team since bursting onto the scene two years ago, picked up the knock in Monday night’s friendly win over South Korea.
Warris had to be subbed off after barely 3 minutes, after a challenge from South Korean defender Ki-Sung Yeung. He was subsequently replaced by three goal hero Jordan Ayew.
Black Stars team doctor, Baba Adam explained the situation regarding the Spartak Moscow forward.
“We did an MRI on the quadriceps and what we realised is that, there was a tear.”
“We hope to get him on to the field again pretty soon. However, we are still monitoring him to the deadline [June 15] when we will give our final statement on his state of affairs.”
Warris has been a fan favorite ever since he burst onto the scene, serving as a perfect foil to long time Stars’ striker Asamoah Gyan. He scored three times as the Stars blitzed through their world cup qualifying campaign, and was set to play a significant role upfront in his first major tournament with the Stars.
There is no doubt the technical team would rather have him than not, and personally I believe if his injury is not going to rule him out of the entire group stages, its a risk worth taking.
This is due to the fact that Gyan has never been freer than when he plays alongside Warris, which gives him the freedom to meander back, win the ball, and cause defenders problems with his pace and dribbling abilities. This pairing also enables Warris to stay close to the box, and employ his superb aerial ability to meet crosses.
All in all, it would be a great shame if he missed the world cup, both for Ghana and for Warris as a player gunning for his first major championship appearance.
For now though, he is with the Star’s team, who are enroute to Rio and are scheduled to land tonight. Ghana kicks off the tournament on Monday June 16, against USA in Natal- before games against Germany and Portugal respectively.