Are reports of Ghana switch putting extra pressure on Mohammed Salisu?

Southampton defender, Mohammed Salisu has had a downturn in a form recently that has left his manager Ralph Hasenhuttl worried.

Salisu has been exceptional for Southampton, certainly one of their best players in terms of statistics. However, he is struggling to keep up his level in the final games of the season. He has

Read full articlebeen in bad shape and his performance against Chelsea epitomizes how bad he has been in recent times.

The seismic change in his performance led to Hasenhuttl relegating the young center-back to the bench in their 1-0 victory over Arsenal.

Reacting to Salisu's decline in form, the manager blamed it on himself and also pointed out that the player has lost his head.

"I think it’s on me - and you can be sure that I speak with him very often about that – to get his head clear because the last performances have been far away from what he has shown. He is a good package normally, we all know.”

He added observing Ramadan could also be a factor.

"At the moment we are having the issue also with Ramadan and for these players, it is not so easy. Some handle it better some don’t feel so energetic, but for me, it is important that he gets back to the Salisu he was before these last two or three games."

But can his poor form be related to reports about his international career?

There have been reports about the player having back and forth with FA over his playing for Ghana. The GFA has been in constant pursuit to get the 22-year-old to play for the Black Stars but the former Real Valladolid man has declined all the attempts made by the FA.

Salisu, last commented on his international career in 2020, when he said he would love to play for Ghana but he does not feel ready yet.

Amid rumours that Salisu was considering playing for Spain instead of Ghana, his family released a statement unequivocally reiterating the defender’s commitment to Ghana and he has now confirmed in an interview with Mozzart Sport Kenya that he would be proud to play for the Black Stars.

“I’ll be so proud to play to my country, to play with Ghana, the national team,” the defender said.

“But I think this is not the right moment to play in the national team. I think I need to focus on the club side because I am young, I think I need to focus on the club first and then after, when everything is fine, I can go and play for Ghana,” Kenyan media, Mozzart Sport Kenya,

Since then, there has not been any official report from the player's perspective.

Within the time frame, there have been reports regarding his refusal to play for the Black Stars.

After his interview, he has rejected three call-ups according to reports, FIFA World Cup qualifiers in mid-2021, the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in 2022, and FIFA World Cup qualifiers playoffs in 2022.

Nonetheless, Ghana manoeuvred their way through to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in March 2022.

Mohammed Salisu's name became topical again right after Ghana's qualification. A debate was waged over whether he should be invited into the team.

This has made the Salisu discussion seem like an unending one until the World Cup tournament kicks off, which probably might have had an impact on his recent performance.



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