Boateng must first show interest in Ghana return before possible recall - Arhinful

Former Ghana striker Augustine Arhinful reckons suspended Black Stars attacker Kevin-Prince Boateng must first show a willingness to return for national duty before talks about lifting his ban are considered.

Discussions about the 31-year-old's possible return to the Black Stars have become rife since he completed a sensational move from Italian side Sassuolo to Spanish giants Barcelona on Monday.

He has been away from national duty since being handed an indefinite suspension at the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil for "insulting" coach James Kwesi Appiah during a training session. According to the Ghana Football Association, the forward must first officially apologise for his actions before being considered for a recall.

"We must first ask Kevin whether he still wants to get back into the Senior National team before we start talking about that,"  Arhinful said, as reported by Ghana Guardian .

The 44-year-old also shared his thoughts on Boateng's latest transfer which came as a shock to many.

"I wasn't surprised at all when I heard that Kevin-Prince Boateng was joining Barcelona because they had their own reasons for signing him," the ex-Trabzonspor player revealed.

"I think Kevin is guaranteed of winning a trophy even if he doesn't get more playing time at Barcelona [but] I will urge all Ghanaians to pray for him to get more playing time.

"For now the benefits we as Ghanaians will get is that Kevin is being addressed as a "former Black Stars player" at every media house - both local and foreign - [and this] I believe will lift the name Ghana high."

Born to a German mother and a Ghanaian father in Berlin, Boateng switched international allegiance to represent the Black Stars at senior stage in 2010 after representing the European nation at youth level.

The 2014 World Cup aside, the former AC Milan star represented Ghana at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

He has 15 caps and two goals for the four-time African champions.