Mohammed Kudus Withdraws From Ghana Squad for Hotspur Way Recovery
Mohammed Kudus has withdrawn from Ghana’s squad for this month’s AFCON qualifiers and a friendly against Morocco, choosing instead to continue a fitness programme at Hotspur Way. The Tottenham winger had been named by Black Stars boss Carlos Queiroz for matches against Ivory Coast and Gambia before being released from the group.
This Mohammed Kudus injury update comes as the 25-year-old works his way back from eight months out with a quad problem. He is spending a three-week block at Tottenham’s training ground rather than travelling for international duty, with Ghana officials confirming the plan was agreed to protect his recovery.
Carlos Queiroz and GFA Detail Official Decision Behind Kudus Release
Queiroz explained his thinking after Kudus featured for 75 minutes in Tottenham’s Carabao Cup loss at Liverpool, a game the Ghana boss used to assess the player’s condition. According to Carlos Queiroz, closer observation and conversations with Kudus afterwards led him to conclude the winger was not yet ready for international minutes. He explained the decision in full.
“It is simple for you guys to understand: over the course of our decision, we have the club games. As national team coach, we can’t control the decisions of the other coaches. In the course of our observations and conversations, it looked like Kudus was moving in the right direction. I had to make the decision on Wednesday or Thursday with the matches, that I was able to scout and make the right observations but later on other information about the status of the player after he played 70 something minutes, unfortunately the news was that they were not progressing in the direction that we expect. In my final conversation with Kudus, we realised that the best decision was to protect his progress and recovery process and keep the hope that in this period with more training and more games in the legs, in the next round, Kudus will be ready to be with us. In this moment for him, the most sensitive situation is that he can’t take the risk to have a setback like he had before. Nobody wants to take that risk. We have decisions with informations that we have in the end, when they come, I made the decision to release him because he was not ready to come.”
Kudus was not alone in stepping away. Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo and Sheffield United’s Jordan Ayew also withdrew from the squad, a move that drew criticism from sections of the Ghanaian press, as reported by Football.London.
GFA executive council member Frederick Acheampong defended all three players. According to Frederick Acheampong as quoted by GhanaWeb, the withdrawals had been misread by critics: “There have been a lot of conspiracy theories and speculations about the withdrawal of the Black Stars players.” He added that Kudus’s case was straightforward: “Kudus gave something on compassionate grounds, with the fact that he had been injured for so long and he is now returning, so they should excuse him without any malicious intent.”
Acheampong also addressed suggestions that the withdrawals simply hand opportunities to other players: “It’s one way for people to draw those conclusions. For me, I think it is an opportunity for those called up to shine. If someone takes over a position, then that’s it. People got such chances and grabbed them with both arms, and it was difficult to take them out.”
Roberto De Zerbi Squad Impact and Tactical Context at Tottenham
Kudus’s recovery has been managed carefully by Tottenham since his return from eight months out with the quad injury. He has made four Premier League substitute appearances under Roberto De Zerbi this season, alongside his outing in the Carabao Cup defeat at Anfield.
Extra time on the training pitch matters given early season midfield concerns at Tottenham, where De Zerbi has leaned on a small pool of attacking options. Kudus offers pace and directness from wide areas once he builds up his match sharpness, so a settled block of training weeks carries real value before he takes on a heavier workload.
Upcoming Timeline and What Happens Next for Kudus at Spurs
Kudus will spend three weeks working at Hotspur Way during the international break, the period Ghanaian officials say was agreed to protect his fitness. The approach mirrors that taken with team-mate Dejan Kulusevski, who recently made his own return to Tottenham training after injury.
Queiroz has left the door open for Kudus to return to the Ghana squad once his recovery is further along, saying he hopes the player will be ready “in the next round.” No date has been set for when De Zerbi might extend his involvement beyond substitute appearances, and Tottenham have made no comment on a specific return to the starting line-up. Supporters can expect the next Mohammed Kudus injury update once the club confirm his progress in full training.
