Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan has explained that his inability to feature in last weekend's 2-0 win over Ethiopia in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers was not due to injury but tactical reasons.
The 32-year-old was ignored as Crystal Palace striker Jordan Ayew was picked to partner Emmanuel Boateng upfront. The decision paid off as Ayew scored both goals to win the game for the Black Stars.
“My bench role was purely based on tactical approach by the coach and not injury," Gyan told Angel FM.
"You could see that it got to a point where we were under pressure in the game and we needed stability. Therefore, a midfielder and defender were required ahead of a striker that’s why Afriyie Acquah and Jonathan Mensah were introduced ahead of me.
"We needed to protect our lead since that was all what mattered to us at that point since the pressure was becoming unbearable in the second-half,” he added.
Gyan, who is Ghana's all-time topscorer with 51 goals, last featured for the Black Stars in September 2017 against Congo in the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.
