AFCON 2019: Asamoah Gyan Will Be A Great Assert To Black Stars In Egypt - Derek Boateng

Former Ghana striker, Derek Boateng is of the view that Asamoah Gyan will be a great addition to the Black Stars in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

The former Sunderland and Liberty Professionals forward nearly pulled out from the team with less a month for the start of the 32nd edition of the tournament in Egypt but rescinded his decision after a presidential intervention.

Gyan has been stripped off his role as the captain of the Black Stars with Andre Ayew being named as the substantive captain of the Black Stars.

The 33-year-old has been elevated to the general captain role.

Gyan has been inconsistent this year due to injuries, but he has scored three games in his last two games for his Turkish outfit Kayserispor.

But Boateng who played with the former Udinese forward has hinted that Gyan will still need the presence of the former Sunderland striker in order to do well in the 2019 AFCON since the team will have a lot of first timers in the competition.

“Even if you are taking Asamoah Gyan and you not playing him in starting XI, you need to take him, because, in these kinds of tournaments, you need experienced players around the team,” he told Pulse Ghana Sports in an interview.

“Some of the players haven’t played in the AFCON before. Trust me this tournament is different from the World Cup. It is very tough. This is Africa, no one wants you to dribble him. It is not like we playing in Europe against these whites. We need all our players, we need everyone. We don’t need them; we don’t have to divide them.

Asamoah Gyan has been named in Ghana’s provisional 29-man squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt.

He has played in every single Africa Cup of Nations since 2008 and has emerged as Ghana’s all-time top scorer in the competition with eight goals.

Ghana will officially begin preparation for the tournament on June 1 in Dubai.