England's World Cup preparations have received a significant boost after Ghana star Mohammed Kudus was ruled out of the tournament due to injury. The 25-year-old Tottenham winger has not played since January because of a hamstring problem and has been omitted from Carlos Queiroz's 28-man squad.
Kudus, who scored twice for Ghana at the last World Cup and registered two goals and two assists in qualifying, suffered a setback during his recovery in the spring. Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi confirmed in April that Kudus would miss the remainder of the season, saying: 'Kudus, for this season, has gone.'
Ghana are due to face England in their second group stage fixture on June 23 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Black Stars open their campaign against Panama in Toronto before concluding against Croatia in Philadelphia. Queiroz, who took over in April after Otto Addo's dismissal, will need to trim his squad to 26 for the tournament.
Despite Kudus's absence, Ghana still boast Premier League talent including Antoine Semenyo, Jordan Ayew, and Abdul Fatawu. Ernest Nuamah, who returned from a year-long cruciate ligament injury in May, has also been included. England, meanwhile, have already named their 26-man squad, with Tottenham's Djed Spence included but Dominic Solanke and Conor Gallagher left out.
