Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz said Mohammed Kudus' decision to withdraw from Ghana's squad for this 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying window was made to avoid risking a setback in the Tottenham forward's recovery from injury.
Kudus had initially been included in Queiroz's 24-man squad after returning to action for Spurs following seven months out, but will remain with his club as Ghana begin their Group C campaign in Bouaké against Ivory Coast.
"We are not coaches of the clubs, we can't control their decisions," Queiroz said at a news conference at the Accra Sports Stadium on Monday.
"It looked like Kudus was moving in the right direction. But later, after playing 70-something minutes, the news was not progressing as expected.
"In my final conversation with Kudus, we realised the best decision was to protect his recovery process. He can take the risk of a step-back, and nobody wants that."
Kudus is one of several fitness concerns for Queiroz, who said injuries and a lack of playing time had reduced his options just days before the qualifier.
"Some of them are playing very well," he said. "Some of them don't have minutes in their legs, they're not match fit as we expect. At the time I published the list, we had 10 potential players out of my options."
Nine players were eventually co-opted into the squad because of what the GFA described as "medical uncertainties" involving some players.
Defenders Jonas Adjetey, Alidu Seidu, Ebenezer Annan and Rockson Yeboah were added, along with midfielder Rahim Ibrahim and forwards Brandon Thomas-Asante, Mohammed Fuseini, Benjamin Tetteh and Felix Afena-Gyan.
Queiroz said the turnover has made establishing a settled team difficult ahead of the first qualifying game: "You can't change 7, 8, 10 players every time the national team plays and expect to succeed.
"We have to find a way to build the team around a core of players. Availability, commitment and accountability are key words for success."
Queiroz's concern would appear to be valid, with Ghana attempting to return to the Nations Cup after failing to qualify for the 2025 tournament in Morocco, their first absence since 2004. The four-time African champions missed out after finishing bottom of their qualifying group without a victory.
This time, Ghana have been drawn with Ivory Coast, The Gambia and Somalia in Group C, with the top two teams qualifying for the 2027 finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Injuries aside, Thursday's game will renew one of West African football's longest-running rivalries. Côte d'Ivoire beat Ghana on penalties in the 2015 AFCON final, while their most recent meeting ended 0-0 in a friendly in Cape Coast in June 2021.
The Ivorians, three-time African champions, are also entering a new cycle under Hervé Renard, who has returned for a second spell as coach and named eight newcomers for the opening qualifiers.
For Queiroz, however, qualification is only one part of a longer rebuilding process after Ghana's World Cup campaign.
"Our journey now is to have our hands in the present, we have to qualify for African competitions, but at the same time we have our eyes in the future," he said.
"Step by step we have to plant the seeds to build a strong, capable team that will be able to qualify and compete in the World Cup."
After the opening game in Cote d'Ivoire, the Black Stars return home to host The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sept. 29 in their second Group C qualifier.
