Former Black Stars forward, Prince Tagoe, has cautioned the current coaching staff of the team not to rush AS Roma forward Felix Afena-Gyan into the national team set up.

The 18-year-old has been named in Milovan Rajevac’s 28-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Ethiopia and South Africa this month.

• Felix Afena-Gyan likely to reject debut Black Stars call-up

The maiden call-up for the youngster comes after an impressive start to the 2021/22 season, which has seen him feature twice for AS Roma’s senior team - against Cagliari and AC Milan respectively.

However, Tagoe believes despite the impressive qualities of Afena-Gyan, he needs time to develop as part of finding his momentum in Italy.

“Felix [Afena-Gyan] is a good lad obviously but we should not rush him. This is not a friendly match but crucial World Cup qualifier. Just a small issue can destabilise him. Let’s leave him to find his feet at Roma. We can invite him later,” the former Ghana international told Angel TV in an interview.

Afena-Gyan has had a blistering start to life in Italy since joining Roma earlier this year.

His performances this season for the club’s Primavera side has seen him catch the attention of Mourinho, who has not hesitated in giving him minutes in the league as he is not registered for the Europa Conference League.