John Mensah can’t match Ronaldo, others — Razak

Former Ghana international, Abdul Karim Razak, has kicked against the inclusion of former skipper of the Black Stars, John Mensah, in the squad  for  the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, insisting, the player has  outlived his usefulness.

“Under no circumstance should  John Mensah be considered for selection because he  can’t  compete  with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Claudio Reyna, Mesut Ozil and  Bastian  Schweinsteiger who would be paraded by the teams in the Stars group. 

“For the Stars to survive their tough group, they need youthful  but robust  players  who are also  combative,” Razak contended in an interview with the Graphic Sports.

Reacting to comments from some soccer analysts that John Mensah’s  experience was crucial to the backline of  Ghana as he would come with some experience, Razak, who was Africa’s Best Footballer in 1978, argued that  if experience alone was crucial to the team  then he, together with Opoku Afriyie, Mohammed Polo and Kuuku Dadzie should also be considered in the Stars final squad.

He was also disappointed over what he described as  the over-reliance on Michael Essien and Sulley Ali Muntari, saying  the duo lacked   the needed power and tenacity to oil the Stars midfield as they did at the last two editions of the World Cup.

He said for Ghana to progress from the group stage, there  was the need to beef up the team with squad players who are hungry for honours.

“We need more youthful players  in our squad, that is why we must focus on the players who qualified the team for the World Cup

“For me, Brazil 2014 should be for players such as Jonathan Mensah, John Boye, Rashid Mohammed, Jerry Akaminko,   Harrison Afful and Daniel Opare.

Our  midfield  should include the likes of Kwadwo Asamoah,  Agyemang  Badu,  Mohammed Rabiu, Christian Atsu   and Dede Ayew,  while skipper Asamoah Gyan, Prince Kelvin Boateng and Majid Warris form the striking force. 

While commending Coach James Kwasi Appiah for being the first Ghanaian coach  to qualify the Black Stars for the World Cup, he said  the coach could make history for himself and the country if he steered the team past their 2006 and 2010 achievements.