Kwesi Pratt Jnr, the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper has disclosed his fondness of Black Stars captain, Andre Dede Ayew, revealing that he is a big fan of the player.

Kwesi Pratt, on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana extolled the virtues of Dede Ayew as one of the few players who in his view play their hearts out for the country.

The veteran journalist is awed by the dedication and discipline of Andre Ayew and has commended him for his sacrifices for the country.

However, there is something about Andre Ayew that Pratt claims to be puzzled by whenever he sees him on the football field.

Kwesi Pratt noted that the white plaster always tied around two of Ayew’s fingers is something that he has been trying to comprehend.

“Someone like Dede Ayew is someone I have come to respect a lot. It seems to me that in the current squad, he displays a certain level of commitment and passion not just for the game but for his country as well. The only thing I don’t understand is why anytime he plays a match, he ties his two fingers with a plaster. I’ve been trying to understand that. He is a fine player,” he said.

Kwesi Pratt also spoke about the Black Stars’ performance in Ivory Coast, listing some factors that he believes contributed to the team’s disgraceful performance.

He explained, "One contributing factor is simply the fact of over-reliance on foreign players. For the coach to do well, the coach has to understand them, predict the conduct of players and their style."

Pratt continued, "If you are simply a coach that just assembles players in the nick of time, it means the coach doesn’t understand the strengths and weaknesses of players, and it’s a major problem."

The Black Stars left the tournament, winning none, drawing two and losing one of their three games played in Group B.

A 2-1 defeat to Cape Verde in the opening game was followed by 2-2 draws with Egypt and Mozambique in the second and final group matches respectively.

With just two points and a goal deficit, the Black Stars recorded successive group-stage exits from the AFCON, having suffered the same fate in the 2021 edition.

As a result of the disastrous performance in Ivory Coast, Chris Hughton has been sacked by the Ghana Football Association.

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Watch GhanaWeb's review of Ghana's AFCON performance below