Gyan laments England absences

Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan has expressed his disappointment that England will field a second-string squad in their friendly match on Tuesday.

Gyan, who plies his trade with Sunderland in the English Premier League, said although he expects Fabio Capello’s men to put on a good show, he feels let down his side will not come up against the likes of Wayne Rooney, John Terry and Frank Lampard.Some 21,000 Ghanaian fans will fill the away section at Wembley for the match and Gyan expressed his sympathy for those who have spent big money to see England’s stars.”We were expecting the changes,” Gyan told reporters on Monday.”I might be disappointed but it is one of those things. Maybe the fans are disappointed because we have never played against England. Maybe some of the fans are there to see the big names and they are not playing.”"They have paid a lot of money. They came to see Rooney and the big players.”But Gyan says he and his team-mates will not be taking England lightly, despite the absence of some of their big names.”England are still a strong side. Everyone knows England. We will have to be very careful,” he said.”They have never lost to an African team and we have to stay focused and see what happens. Those players who are coming to face Ghana are also good players. It is an English national team. Maybe they might be better than those players that are out!”Gyan also reserved special praise for Jack Wilshere and England boss Capello ahead of the fixture.His club team-mate, John Mensah, who doubles as the Ghana captain, said although England will not be at full strength, he still expects them to play well. “It would be nice to see the big names but I don’t think those that are playing are not good,” Mensah said.”I know that if they have the national jersey, they are good players. We all know Rooney and some of the others who are big names and we respect all of them. But anyone who wears the jersey is a capable player.”

Mon 28 March, 2011