Head coach of the Black Stars Chris Hughton says Gideon Mensah was keen on joining the team and featuring against Madagascar on Sunday, June 18, despite his injury.

The left-back was excused from camp and ruled out of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifier after not being able to recover in time from an injury he sustained while playing for AJ Auxerre.

Mensah was a constant figure for the French outfit in every game as they battled regulation in the latter part of the season, something Hughton believes may have been the rationale behind his injury.

However, the gaffer also revealed that the injury was managed well by his club and Mensah was determined to join his teammates for the qualifier.

"His club had been managing an injury that he has but this is someone that has been playing in all the games. And maybe some of that is because his team were obviously in a very difficult position," Hughton told the press.

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"Sometimes you get the feel from a player, a player who is maybe not so confident in coming [to the national team] or a player who wants to come. Gideon wanted to be here and that is a good sign.

"This is somebody that wanted to be here in camp so it was our responsibility to assess him with the medical information and come to a conclusion. The conclusion is that probably at this stage we didn't want to risk him."

The player will miss the penultimate qualifier against Madagascar and continue his recovery as he looks forward to pre-season with Auxerre.

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