Ghana coach Otto Addo has explained the omission of IF Elfsborg attacking midfielder Michael Baidoo from the squad for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifications doubleheader against Sudan.
Despite Baidoo’s impressive performance in Sweden, the talented player was left out of the 25-man squad released on Friday afternoon for the crucial games next week.
Baidoo scored on the eve of the squad announcement to propel Elfsborg to secure narrow victory over Italian giants, AS Roma but it was enough to earn him a place in the squad.
However, Otto Addo during a press conference has clarified why he didn’t include the fast-rising midfielder in his squad.
“He is on our radar. We are in touch. Michael Baidoo is an excellent striker and we will see what will happen in the future. At the moment, this is what we think. Inaki and Semenyo are scoring so to be honest I think the Premier League is a bit tougher. He is a good striker so we will see what will happen in the future” he said.
The four-time champions of the AFCON title are without a win in their opening games in Group F, losing to Angola and drawing against Niger in September.
The Black Stars will be hoping to revive their AFCON 2025 qualification chances when they face Sudan after a sloppy start to the qualifiers last month.
Otto Addo's side aim to secure one of the top two spots in Group F to qualify for the AFCON tournament, scheduled from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026 in Morocco.