MOHAMMED Salisu has reportedly agreed to make himself available for Ghana’s future international fixtures – ending what has been described as a ’30-month chase’ to convince the defender to represent his country of birth on the big stage.

Ghanian publication JoySports have apparently confirmed that the 23-year-old has finally agreed to accept call-ups for the first time since November 2019.

Whilst still with Real Valladolid in Spain, Salisu was called by then head coach Kwesi Appiah to face South Africa and São Tomé and Príncipe in qualifiers for the 2021 African Cup of Nations.

READ MORE:

At the time, Salisu merely pulled out of the squad due to injury concerns, but the Accra-born centre-back has not accepted a call-up since.

Despite Salisu’s perceived apprehension in playing for Ghana, he is currently not eligible to play for any other country.

The Black Stars are confirmed to appear at this year’s World Cup, where they will face Portugal, Uruguay, and South Korea in Group H.

Over the past few years there have been mixed messages from both camps in regards to Salisu’s desire to play for the Black Stars, with previous comments from the defender’s family suggesting that he “is a proud Ghanaian and very ready to represent Ghana at every level and time.”

The last public comments on the saga came from Salisu himself, who told MozzartSport Kenya in April 2021 that he was still focusing on his club form, and when he felt ready and “everything is fine”, he could “go and play for Ghana.”

At the time of the comments, Salisu had only made his Saints debut two months prior, in February.

However, over a year later, Salisu has now established himself as a key part of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s defence.

In total, Salisu has missed 26 fixtures for Ghana, including this year's AFCON, a competition that saw the Black Stars knocked out at the group stage for the first time in eight tournaments.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo.

Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website.

You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.

Don't take my word for it - subscribe here to see for yourself.

Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by joining our Facebook group - Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents

Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated Facebook group - Hampshire Court and Crime News