Soccer:Ghana's Michael Essien will not be involved in the World Cup finals after failing to recover from the knee and ankle injuries that kept him out of action for the second half of the season.
A statement released by the Ghana Football Association revealed the Chelsea midfielder, who has played hardly any competitive football since December, is not expected to be fully fit until the end of July.
Essien met with officials from both club and country in London this week where a decision was taken to rule him out.
“An evaluation by a combined team of medical experts from the Ghana Football Association and Chelsea Football Club revealed that Essien will not make full recovery until the end of July,” said the statement.
“The Ghana Football Association wishes him full recovery and a quick return to football action.”
Ghana also have doubts over defender John Mensah and striker Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, who are yet to be passed 100 per cent fit for the competition.
Ghana, who are making a second appearance at the finals, are in Group D, alongside Germany, Serbia and Australia.