Black Stars team doctor, Adam Baba, believes Ghanaian-born Kevin-Prince Boateng is lacking a good local manager who can better represent his interest in the country and make Ghanaians understand and appreciate what he has been going through in his career.
According to Dr Baba, the injury-prone Boateng has undergone as many as seven surgeries on his right knee since age 13 which explains why he is always conscious of the kind of pitch he plays on anytime he is invited to play for the Black Stars.
He explained in an interview with the Daily Graphic that the Black stars and Schalke 04 midfielder had suffered enough damage on his meniscus as a result of the frequent surgeries following the scrapping of a catilage in his right knee.
He noted that limping had become a part of the Stars' kinpin as a result of the damage, thus having a psychological effect on him both on and off the pitch.
Dr Baba said that unfortunate situation had restricted Boateng to a special regimen for both club and country, explaining why he always traveled to Ghana with a personal physiotherapist.
He disclosed that Boateng’s physiotherapist, Hagan Stroh, who accompanied him to the Stars' training camp in Istanbul, was also in Kumasi when the player was invited for the World Cup qualifier against Zambia on September 6.
It will be recalled that Boateng complained about the hard nature of the Kumasi pitch and subsequently pulled out of the game to avoid injury.
And even in Istanbul where the Olympic Stadium turf on which the Stars trained was generally regarded as being soft, the gifted midfielder initially had a problem with its uneven surface and, therefore, needed some two days to psyche himself up before finally joining the rest of the team from day three.
And when he did, he left none in doubt about his quality which has provided Schalke with some wonderful goals.
He is expected to play an influential role for the Stars against Egypt tomorrow.
