Former Black Stars Defender Says Ghana Will Need Mohammed Salisu at the World Cup

• Mohammed Salisu has been a top target for the GFA following his swashbuckling performances in the English Premier League
• However, the 22-year-old defender has reportedly declined five call-ups to the national team with his international career hanging in the balance after Ghana qualified for the World Cup
• Former Ghana defender Sam Johnson believes the football federation should still pursue the towering defender due to his quality

Ex-Ghana international Sam Johnson believes the Black Stars will need the services of Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu at the forthcoming World Cup in Qatar.

Discussions of the relevance of Mohammed Salisu to the national team have been rife following Ghana's qualification to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

With many divided on whether the 22-year-old towering defender should be invited for the Mundial, a former Black Stars defender has weighed into the discourse.

Johnson, formerly of Fenerbache, believes the centre-back will be needed for the World Cup and the Ghana Football Association must try and convince him to play for the Black Stars.

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“We still need players in the team. Those who are playing better than those we currently have now in the team. Salisu is a Ghanaian and because of some reason, he doesn’t want to come. Let’s get some people to talk to him and convince him. Sometimes it is because of the way we handle them. So we have to be careful”, he told Happy FM as quoted by GHANAsoccernet.

Sam Johnson affectionately called 'Foyoo' added that Mohammed Salisu will be key for Ghana’s squad going into the World Cup due to his quality.

“It doesn’t matter if he didn’t play in the qualifiers. It doesn’t work like that in the national team because some players laboured in the qualifiers so they should play in the World Cup. The GFA must go and talk to him”.

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Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Caretaker manager of the Black Stars Otto Addo has shed light on Mohammed Salisu's unavailability for the senior men's national team.

Following Black Stars' recent qualification to the 2022 World Cup, football fans in the West African nation have been divided on whether the country should continue in pursuit of the Southampton guardsman.

Salisu has been a top target for the Ghana Football Association, who have made several attempts to lure the former Real Valladolid defender to play for the Black Stars.