Rahman set to undergo surgery
Black Stars’ enterprising left-back, Baba Abdul Rahman, faces many agonising weeks on the sidelines as he looks set to undergo surgery and possibly a longer spell in the treatment room after it was revealed that he sustained double injury during Ghana’s 1-0 victory over Uganda last Tuesday.
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Rahman got injured in the first half of the Africa Cup of Nations Group D opener after the defender, running to latch onto a pass by teammate Andre Ayew, clattered into an opponent near the Ugandan goal area.
His Nations Cup campaign ended after just 37 minutes as he was stretchered off the pitch in pain and replaced by Frank Acheampong.
A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test conducted on the player the following day in the Gabonese capital of Libreville revealed that the Schalke 04 player suffered a double agony of damaging his meniscus, as well as suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury with fluid collection in the left knee, GFA Director of Communications, Ibrahim Sannie Daara, revealed to the Graphic Sports at the team’s Hotel du Park camp here in Port Gentil.
“Initially, we thought we could get Marian to work on the injury and get him fit again. But it was discovered after the MRI test that the nature of Baba’s injury would require surgery and so he is out of the tournament. His club have asked that he be sent back to Germany for further test and treatment,” Daara said.
“The team officials and the players will go and talk to him [Rahman] to come to terms with the situation and lift up his spirit because leaving the tournament under such circumstances and having to undergo surgery which could keep you out of the game for a long time often dampens a player’s spirit,” explained the FA spokesperson.
Rahman, 22, a member of Coach Avram Grant’s side that reached the final of the 2015 AFCON, was due to fly out of Gabon yesterday for Germany where he will undergo further test before going under the knife to repair the damage to his ligament and meniscus.
Baba is on a season loan to Schalke from English premiership side Chelsea, and could face not less than two months on the sidelines and keep him from many Bundesliga games.
His absence leaves Grant with two main options for the right-back position. RSC Anderlecht youngster Frank Acheampong, the Israeli’s preferred option for the role, while Barnsley’s Andy Yiadom could be handed his first starting role for the Stars in tomorrow’s second group D clash with Mali at the Stade de Port Gentil.
