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Kwesi Appiah stands by decision to drop Ayew brothers

James Kwesi Appiah has defended reason for handing call-up to some new faces while excluding experienced players like the Ayew brothers from his squad.

The Ayew brothers were left out of Kwesi Appiah’s squad for the second consecutive time after they opted out of Black Stars team that thrashed Congo 1-5 in Brazzaville.

Appiah has given chance to some youngsters to justify their inclusion and when asked why he left outthe Ayew brothers, he stated he did the best with the call-up and he is currently used to criticisms over call-ups.

"Whomever I call, people will complain so that is something I am used to," Appiah tells KwesèESPN. "There are so many players doing very well and there is no way I can call up everyone.

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"The most important thing is that I need to make the right calls with what is ultimately good for this team as the major guide, and not allow what people complain about to influence it. If I am to bother about that then I will be calling up about 100 players."

After failing to rescue Ghana's 2018 World Cup bid, Appiah's main mandate now is to prepare a team that will attempt to end the country's long Nations Cup trophy drought in 2019. And he says reports of that happening without fresh faces is way off the mark.

"I have not said that I won't invite new players from next year," he adds. "What I have kept saying is that I will stop the bulk invitations per match, and limit it to one or two who are outstanding at club level.

"Whether you are building a team or have one in place, there is no way you can shut the door completely on new players, but it is also true that as a coach you need a core group you work with and the plan is to get that as quickly as possible next year."

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