Ghana U20 head coach, Desmond Ofei, has bemoaned the loss of key players from his team that won the African Games in March, ahead of the 2024 WAFU B U20 Championship next month.

Ofei revealed that many of the Black Satellites have moved to Europe to continue their careers since the competition in January this year.

Players like Abdul Hakim Sulemana, who signed for Randers in Denmark, and Aziz Issah, now at Barcelona, come to mind.

Ofei stated that this situation makes it difficult to assemble an entirely new team for the tournament, which is set to be hosted in Togo starting on October 17.

“We've lost a lot of players. I think since the African Games we've lost over 9 to 10 players that have travelled to Europe to start their career,” he said.

“So it was challenging to rebuild the whole team. We've got some good quality in the squad that I'm sure they can show something during this tournament.

"So preparation has been going on. We're not the best out there that we wanted, but we are growing. The team is growing gradually and I'm sure prior to the tournament it will get better."

Ghana has been drawn in Group A alongside Benin, Niger, and Togo for the tournament, which will serve as the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The draw for the qualifiers was conducted on Thursday, September 26, in Côte d'Ivoire.

The Black Satellites hope to make a return to the U20 Africa Cup of Nations after missing the previous edition in 2023.