“I am very happy that I am getting game time. It will help me to improve my game and stamina. I try to to pay more attention to my body. It is a great honour to work under Rafael Benitez. He is a great coach. He has given me much confidence and he has been encouraging me,

“We need the nation to support the Black Stars, We know have not been behind us since Brazil,” he told BBC.

Christian Atsu, 24 has been part of the Black Stars since 2013 and is on loan at Newcastle United from Chelsea.