Uncertainty hangs over the availability of Ghanaian attacking midfielder Mohammed Kudus for Thursday’s crucial match against Egypt, with coach Chris Hughton revealing a last-minute decision will determine his participation in the match.

Kudus suffers from a hamstring problem which prevented him from participating in Ghana’s first match against Cape Verde, and his absence was felt during the Black Stars’ surprise defeat (2-1).

With Ghana needing a win against Egypt to get back into the qualification race, Hughton is eager to field his best team, but the absence of Kudus is likely to be a blow.

The West Ham star has been in excellent form this season, scoring 10 goals in various competitions since his move from Ajax for over €40 million. However, Hughton expressed uncertainty over Kudus’ condition, revealing that the player has been training but will be assessed again before the match.

“We will continue to evaluate Mohammed Kudus. He has been training for the last few days. We will evaluate him today and tomorrow and we will make a decision,” revealed the Black Stars coach.

Mohammed Kudus had already missed AFCON 2021 in Cameroon due to injury. If he does not play the match against Egypt and possibly the following matches, and Ghana does not qualify, Kudus could wait at least two more years to make his debut at an Africa Cup finals. Kudus’ availability will have a significant impact on Ghana’s chances against Egypt.