Former Asante Kotoko defender, Frimpong Manso has attributed the abysmal performance of Ghana’s under 17 team, The Black Satellites, in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Niger, to improper transition at the junior national team level.

Ghana failed to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup for the second time running after suffering a narrow defeat to Mali

The Black Satellites were beaten 1-0 by Mali at the Stade Général Seyni Kountché on Saturday.

Frimpong Manso, speaking on Asempa FM said he believed the players were lacking the telepathy and understanding as a team and that was what caused their downfall.

“When the U17 [Black Starlets] players who have graduated and are to be included in the under 20 team, they are neglected for a new crop of players; this is the main problem.

“The under 17 players have already played together and they have the understanding already, so at least if they [the U-20 coaches] were able to add some of them to the squad, their preparation would have been easier,” he said.

The Black Satellites are three-time African Champions from 1993, 1999 and 2009 but this time around, the team won only one out of the three games in group B.