Following a long lay-off for both club and country, Essien finally warmed himself into the hearts of Ghanaians and the Stars’ technical team, especially with a plucky second half performance against Zambia’s Chipolopolo on September 6, followed by a captain’s game which secured Chelsea a Capital One Cup victory over Swindon last Tuesday.

Black Stars coach Kwesi Appiah believe that Essien is the main man for the Ghana-Egypt play-offs as he will be the pivot of the black Stars team.

“Michael, for me, has always been a good player. I have always had confidence in him. The good thing about him is his attitude, not only on the pitch but off the pitch is fantastic,”  Kwasi Appiah told GFA’s website [ghanafa.org] in an interview.

“To have him in the team again makes me one of the happiest. As for his performance, I know he can do much better than he did against Zambia. He is an exceptional player and I have always said Essien is a player every coach will love to have in his team.”