Salis Abdul Samed is likely to miss Ghana’s final game against the Central African Republic in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

The midfielder suffered a sprained ankle injury as RC Lens suffered a 3-1 defeat to champions Paris Saint Germain on Saturday.

The 23-year-old was replaced by Stijn Spierings after 45 minutes.

The injury was confirmed by the coach of RC Lens, Franck Haise, raising doubts about his availability for the Black Stars’ crucial game, which comes off on September 7.

“In his case [Salis Abdul Samed], he does have a sprain. I’m uncertain about the severity at this point, but I know it originated from the incident at the outset,” Haise stated during a post-match interview.

Salis Samed has been a key member of the Black Stars for the past year, hence, his potential absence from the squad, which coach Chris Hughton has not yet revealed, might be concerning.

Samed has been a frequent contributor in the qualifiers as well, appearing in all three games under Hughton, while also having played all three games for the Black Stars in the 2022 World Cup.

Meanwhile, Chris Hughton, who is the head coach of the team is expected to announce his squad for the game this week.

Ghana need a draw or win to qualify for the tournament that will be hosted in Ivory Coast next year.

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