Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo has withdrawn from the Black Stars squad for the upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Côte d’Ivoire and Gambia.

Semenyo asked to be excused from the September-October international window as he focuses on recovering from a niggling ankle injury.

The Manchester City forward was prepared to undergo independent checks on the injury through the Ghana Football Association (GFA), with the situation expected to be clarified further.

The 26-year-old has made an impressive start to the Premier League season, scoring two goals and providing three assists in five appearances for Manchester City.

His absence will further reduce Ghana’s attacking options, with the Black Stars already dealing with the unavailability of key players including Mohammed Kudus and Thomas Partey.

Ghana will open their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign against Côte d’Ivoire in Bouaké on September 24 before hosting Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium five days later.

The Black Stars have responded to the latest absences with a number of late call-ups.

Brandon Thomas-Asante, Felix Afena-Gyan and Jonas Adjetey are among the players added to the squad, while Rockson Yeboah and Rahim Ibrahim have received their first call-ups to the senior national team.