Michael Essien has not played soccer in 2010, picking up a knee injury that kept him out of the African Cup of Nations as well as the last half of Chelsea's English Premier League title run. Amidst fears of recovery setbacks was speculation that the star midfielder would miss the World Cup, fears were realized today.
Michael Essien Out For Ghana At 2010 World Cup
The Ghanian Football Association has confirmed that Michael Essien has been ruled out of the 2010 World Cup.
Black Stars midfielder, Michael Essien has been ruled out of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
An evaluation by a combined team of medical experts from the Ghana Football Association and Chelsea Football Club revealed that Essien will not make full recovery until the end of July.
The Ghana Football Association wishes him full recovery and a quick return to football action.
Essien has been recovering from a knee injury picked up at the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola back in January.
The midfielder was in line of making his second consecutive appearance at the World Cup following his debut four years ago in Germany.
Ghana opens its World Cup campaign in group D against Serbia on June 13.
Michael Essien is Ghana’s best player, the only Ghanian footballer that could be considered amongst the best players in the world at his position. Now, a knee injury that was originally scheduled to keep him out for two months will keep him off the pitch for at least seven - through the mid-July end of the World Cup.
Ghana's deepest position is midfield, with players like Sulley Muntari, Kwadwo Asamoah and Anthony Annan capable of picking up some of the slack. However, in a tough first round group that includes Germany, Serbia, and Australia, Essien's absence could cost Ghana a trip to the tournament's second round.
See More:
