Ghana midfielder Michael Essien has admitted that he must fight to regain his starting position in the Black Stars. The Chelsea star announced his return to the national team on Monday after a one-year absence after suffering two serious injuries with the national team. In his absence players like Andre Ayew, Prince Boateng, Agyemang Badu and Anthony Annan have excelled in the midfield of the Black Stars. The youngsters helped Ghana to reach the final of the Africa Cup of Nations and the quarter final of the World Cup without the Chelsea star. Essien praised the efforts of the youngster admitting he must work hard to regain his place in the team. “I must work hard to be able to get into the starting team because the young players did very well in my absence,” Essien told BBC Sport. “You can see from their performance at the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup what they did. “It will be difficult to get back into the starting team because of that but I am ready to fight for a place and it will be up to the coach to decide.” The injury forced him out of the 2010 African Nations Cup in Angola and then the World Cup in South Africa. Essien has not played for Ghana since a 45-minute appearance at the 2010 Nations Cup. The Black Stars will play Congo on 6 June in Group I of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Source: Ghanasoccernet