Former Black Stars striker Ransford Osei returned to Ghana to rediscover the form that made him a darling of the junior national teams years ago, but a month into his time back home, he admits being far from his best.
The player's club career took a dip since becoming top scorer at the African Under-20 Championships in Rwanda in 2009.
Now with Kotoko, he has won his first silverware just over a month into signing for the reds. He was integral in the team's win of the Ghana Super Cup on Sunday at the Accra Sports Stadium when they beat New Edubiase 2-0.
The 21-year-old has been exuding excitement in every interview since his return to his homeland, but his form is yet to hit dizzying levels. "I want to play and I want to be active. Now I can say that I am not at my peak yet. I can only give about sixty-five percent of where I want to be," he told Citi FM in an interview.
After agreeing to join the Porcupine Warriors, the player is likely to be deployed as an auxiliary striker and even attacking winger, as evidenced by his given roles in pre-season games and in the Super Cup. But Osei says his focus is still squarely on recapturing his glory days.
"One of the reasons I came to Ghana for was to play and to be active and to be on my form. So that I can get the chance to play in the national team, which is the Black Stars. I have been willing and working towards it. I am still working on playing at the highest level."
The player marked his return to the local scene in their pre-season in a friendly against third-tier Kotokuman Academy. Osei completed his move to the Ghanaian champions in August.