Laryea Kingston: Former Black Stars Winger Appointed Ghana U17 Coach, Eyes AFCON U17 Return

• Laryea Kingston has been named the new Ghana U17 coach
• The former Ghana player will lead the team for the WAFU Cup
• Ghana has not qualified for the U17 AFCON since 2017

Laryea Kingston has been appointed the coach of Ghana's U17 national team, the Black Starlets.

The former Ghana and Heart of Midlothian winger takes over from Dreams FC coach Abdul Karim Zito after working as his assistant for the last two years.

Kingston is expected to lead the Black Starlets back to the U17 Africa Cup of Nations after missing the tournament since 2017. Ghana finished second at their last appearance in Gabon.

The qualifiers begin with the WAFU Zone B Cup of Nations in Ghana between May 15 to May 28.

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"We respect every country that will be playing at the tournament. Each participant is a potential winner. So, we respect everyone. But we’re ready," Kingston told the FA's official website.

He will be assisted by former Hearts of Oak player Jacob Nettey and Nana Agyemang, formerly of Adenta United.

"The technical team and the players are all ready for the tournament. And we’ll take it a match at a time," added Kingston.

The team has been preparing in Accra for the past two weeks as they eye a return to the youth championship.

Kingston enjoyed a glittering career, which saw him make 41 appearances for the Black Stars, including playing at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006 and 2008. He was denied a place at the FIFA World Cup in 2006 due to disciplinary reasons.

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He started his career with Accra Great Olympics before later joining rivals Hearts of Oak, where he became a mainstay in Ghanaian football. Kingston also spent time in the Gulf before spells in Scotland and Israel, per Transfermarkt.

Gyan names favourite Ghana coach

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that former Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan named his favourite coach during his time with the national team, the Black Stars.

The retired forward played under several coaches in his 19-year spell with the four-time African champions.

Gyan spent time with Ratomir Djukovic, Milovan Rajevac, and Kwesi Appiah at the three FIFA World Cups he played in, scoring six goals to become Africa's all-time top scorer at the competition.