Benjamin Asare stepped in at half-time after Lawrence Ati-Zigi picked up a groin injury in Ghana's 1-0 win over Panama. Ati-Zigi later returned to light training after scans, leaving Ghana to manage the position session by session before England.
Daniel Gaspar on Ati-Zigi
Daniel Gaspar said, "We're extremely happy with his progress. It's day by day. Obviously, this is a medical issue collaborated with head coach Carlos Queiroz, so we'll take it session by session." He added, "We're optimistic, and the decision will be made at the right time. But one thing is for sure, we always stress the team above the individual. Any decision we make is in the best interest of the team."
The 29-year-old's injury came after several crucial stops in the Group L opener, a match Ghana kept as a clean sheet. That left Benjamin Asare with the second-half role, while Carlos Queiroz also has Solomon Agbasi in the squad as a fourth goalkeeper for training work.
Ghana and England
Gaspar said Ghana are preparing their goalkeepers for England's physical challenge. He said, "Obviously, England is one of the best teams in the world. They have certain characteristics and a style of play, and we're exposing our goalkeepers to those conditions."
He also said, "Panama is different to England. England will be different to Croatia. We analyse each opponent, identify their dangerous players and attacking patterns, then incorporate that into training." Ghana will be without Tottenham winger Mohammed Kudus because of injury, while Gaspar said Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo is the biggest threat to England's defence.
The open question is whether Ati-Zigi can do enough in the remaining sessions to start against England. Ghana's staff are treating it as a team call, not a single-player call, and Benjamin Asare is already the fallback if the recovery slows.
