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Former Ghana coach Avram Grant says many people were against his decision to take late Christian Atsu to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations when he didn't play competitive football for half a year.
Injuries had limited the late winger's game time ahead of the tournament in Equatorial Guinea.
Despite all these, Atsu still became the best player of the tournament and also won the best goal of the tournament as Ghana lost in the final to Ivory Coast.
Grant, who took over the Black Stars shortly before the tournament, explained that he took Atsu to the competition because he knew him at Chelsea.
“It’s a story that shows also about his character and how strong he is mentally because I received the team very short time before the AFCON after the crisis in the World Cup in 2014 and he was not even on the list because he didn’t play half a year. The first half of the year he didn’t play, he didn’t find a team, partly because of injury," Grant told Joy Sports.
“Then I knew him also because Chelsea bought him and he played in Holland and I decided to take him to the team which I think a lot of people didn’t agree with me which I understand because he didn’t play for half a year.
“So we put him in a special program with Jamie Lawrence, the fitness coach to prepare him and I remember that I had a conversation with him, he said to me if you decide to take me, I don’t care if I play one minute or five minutes or 10 minutes.
“I’m a Ghanaian. I’m proud of my team and after what happened in the World Cup with the supporters don’t believe in us. I want to give my contribution”.
Injuries had limited the late winger's game time ahead of the tournament in Equatorial Guinea.
Despite all these, Atsu still became the best player of the tournament and also won the best goal of the tournament as Ghana lost in the final to Ivory Coast.
Grant, who took over the Black Stars shortly before the tournament, explained that he took Atsu to the competition because he knew him at Chelsea.
“It’s a story that shows also about his character and how strong he is mentally because I received the team very short time before the AFCON after the crisis in the World Cup in 2014 and he was not even on the list because he didn’t play half a year. The first half of the year he didn’t play, he didn’t find a team, partly because of injury," Grant told Joy Sports.
“Then I knew him also because Chelsea bought him and he played in Holland and I decided to take him to the team which I think a lot of people didn’t agree with me which I understand because he didn’t play for half a year.
“So we put him in a special program with Jamie Lawrence, the fitness coach to prepare him and I remember that I had a conversation with him, he said to me if you decide to take me, I don’t care if I play one minute or five minutes or 10 minutes.
“I’m a Ghanaian. I’m proud of my team and after what happened in the World Cup with the supporters don’t believe in us. I want to give my contribution”.