Baba Rahman, Ghana

Optimistic Baba allays injury fears

Ghana defender Abdul Rahman Baba has shed light on his injury picked up in their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations group opener against Uganda on Tuesday.

The Schalke 04 man was forced off after 39 minutes after suffering what looked like a thigh injury, prompting concerns that his tournament may be taking a premature end.

The 22-year-old, however, sounded calm and optimistic after the match, revealing that the injury is not a thigh problem as earlier reported.

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"I twisted my knee twice in the space of five minutes" Baba told Goal. "I have some pains but at this moment, I think the pain is going down. 

"But we still need to do some scans and see what happens."

Andre Ayew's 32nd-minute penalty was all Ghana needed to claim maximum points at Stade de Port-Gentil.

The Black Stars face Mali in their next game on Saturday, but coach Avram Grant is not yet sure of Baba's availability.

"About Baba we need to wait and see, I don't know," Grant told pressmen after the game. "It's 50- 50 

"We will see in the next day what will happen."

Baba played a crucial role as Ghana reached the final of the Afcon in Equatorial Guinea two years ago, having made his debut for the national side in 2014.

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