Essien out of Ghana-England match come Tuesday

Essien sitting on a pitch Add caption

Michael Essien will have 20,000 reasons for ending his exile from the Ghana side as he watches his country face England on Tuesday night.

The World Cup quarter-finalists, who tugged at the neutrals’ heart strings in South Africa last summer, have risen to 16th in the Fifa rankings-and much of the recent amazing journey has been completed without the Chelsea midfielder.

Essien has not represented his country since being injured in the African Cup of Nations in Angola almost 14 months ago.

Despite playing for Chelsea he has turned his back on the international stage.

But 20,000 fervent Ghanaians at a sell-out Wembley for the friendly will remind Essien of what he is missing and assist Ghana FA president Kwesi Nyantakyi in his task of restoring the 28-year-old African icon to the side.

Essien has taken time out on his international career -a decision criticised in Ghana -to help save his body from more wear and tear.

He explained: “I had two bad knee injuries playing for Ghana and they were part of the reason for taking a mini break. I had to give my body a chance to recover and so far, so good.

“I will be there at Wembley to support the team. I am a Black Stars supporter like any other player or Ghanaian. I also expect Ghana to win.”