Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan has admitted his struggles with fitness but believes he can still offer some help to the young players coming through the Black Stars setup.
The 31-year-old joined Turkish top-flight Kayserispor in July after spending six seasons in Asia. However, he is yet to hit the ground running at his new club.
Gyan sat out the Black Stars' 5-1 drubbing of Congo in the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers last week in Brazzaville, after which a section of Ghanaians called for his retirement.
"The past three years have been very difficult, fitness-wise. I try to use my experience to do a lot of things now," Gyan told KweseESPN.
"Somebody will say, he is done [with international football] but I am not done. It is just the circumstances. I started playing for this team in 2003 and I have made my mark.
"I have been around for a long time. When the Black Stars are playing, everyone expects me to score, which is normal. It is not easy replacing someone [like myself] who has done so much," he said.
"Asamoah Gyan is not going to play for the Black Stars forever. There are young, hungry players coming up so we have to encourage them.
"People paved the way for me to get here. I have also set the standard for myself and my nation. I have done something for myself and for Ghana. The young ones coming can learn something from it."
Gyan is Ghana's all-time topscorer after with 51 goals in 106 appearances.
