Late squad twist hands England fresh momentum ahead of World Cup 

England’s World Cup build-up has received an early boost after Ghana suffered a major setback, with influential forward Mohammed Kudus ruled out of the tournament only weeks before the Black Stars open their campaign.

The 25-year-old winger, widely regarded as a central figure in the Black Stars squad, failed to recover in time from a persistent hamstring injury that has sidelined him since January.

His absence leaves a significant creative gap in Carlos Queiroz’s plans only weeks before Ghana begin their campaign.

Kudus played a major role in Ghana’s journey to the World Cup, contributing goals and assists during qualification after also impressing on the global stage at the previous tournament, where he scored twice. However, hopes of a late recovery faded following complications during rehabilitation earlier this year.

Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi had already hinted at the severity of the setback in April, admitting the forward would not feature again during the club season despite initially nearing a return.

The Ghana coach has now officially omitted Kudus from his provisional 28-man squad, which will later be trimmed to 26 players before the tournament begins.

While the loss of Kudus represents a major setback for the Black Stars, there was encouraging news elsewhere with Ernest Nuamah earning a call-up after completing his comeback from a long-term cruciate ligament injury. The Lyon winger only recently returned to competitive action after nearly a year out