Captain John Mensah says Ghana has the right mix of youth with experience for the African Nations Cup.

Ghana's evolving squad has seen Goran Stevanovic bring in lots of youth with more than half the 23-man squad below the age 25 barrier.

For Mensah, one of the experienced members of the squad, the right blend could work in Ghana's favour as they attempt a fifth Nations Cup success when the tournament gets underway on January 21 in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

"We have a good number of experienced players together with youth and we work well as a team," Mensah told www.ghanafa.org.

"Ofcourse, our target is to always win in every game. I don't think having more youthful players rules out any team's chances. It depends on the team."

For the Ghana captain the obsession with ages should be forgotten as he rather points to ability and once's understanding of the highly competitive sport.

"It's about maturity and understanding of the game. You cannot judge a player by his age. We only have to give confidence to them to play and keep on telling them that they can do it and we can make it as a team."

"What is also important is their [youth] commitment and desire to win," he said.

Ghana will start in Group D against newcomers, Botswana on January 24, three days after the official start of the tournament.