Ghana international Inaki Williams has pulled out of the Black Stars squad to face Madagascar in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier due to injury.

The forward was named in Chris Hughton's 24-man squad for the penultimate game in the qualifiers away against Madagascar.

However, the Athletic Bilbao frontman will not be present for the clash as he confirmed in a social media post he has been playing with an ongoing 'pain in his right knee' and has decided to take time to allow it to heal.

"Since a few weeks I've been playing with pain in my right knee. I decided to play until the end of the season, but after having spoken to the medical services, we've decided to stop and solve the problem to be 100% for the preseason," he wrote in a post on Twitter.

"This wasn't an easy decision to make because I won't be able to be with my national team, Ghana the next meeting. I want to say that I am fully committed and I will come back with the Black Stars if the coach deems it appropriate next calls.

"Thank you for your support."

The 28-year-old has featured six times for the Black Stars and is yet to find the back of the net. He was involved in Ghana's doubleheader against Angola back in March.