Despite being ruled out for the next six months, Ghanaian officials are hoping that Michael Essien will be able to lead the Black Stars next January in the African Cup of Nations. “We're aware the initial diagnosis says he will be out for six months. We also know how mentally strong Michael is and we are hopeful he can recover sooner,” Ghana Football Association spokesman Randy Abbey told English newspaper The Daily Mail. The 28-year-old player was injured in his first training session at Chelsea and scans proved that he ruptured his cruciate knee ligament. The tireless midfielder has been struggling with injuries over the past two years and missed Ghana's impressive campaign in the World Cup 2010 which saw them reach the quarter-finals. Essien hasn't featured for Ghana since the African Cup of Nations 2010 and said he needed a break but was expected to be back in this period. “We have a good relationship with Chelsea and we will continue to talk with them about his recovery. And if we see fit to send one of our own doctors over to London, we will not hesitate to do that,” Abbey told the Daily Mail. The Black Stars hope to have a full strength squad in next year's African showdown, to claim the fifth title of their history and their first since 1982.
