Asante Kotoko coach Mariano Barreto has lavished praises on young defender Andrews Appau which will go a long way to boost the confidence of the latter.
Appau who completed a switch from Division One League side Bofoakwa Tano to Kotoko in October last year on a four-year deal until 2024, became a favorite of Barreto and the coach has revealed why he fielded him in the Porcupines’ last seven games in the Ghana Premier League including the Super clash against Hearts of Oak in Accra.
Speaking on Nhyria FM, the Portuguese trainer said despite the defender's young age (19), he gives you exactly what you want on the field a reason he played him on numerous occasions.
When asked why he played dropped Yussif Mubarik for Appau during the business end of the league he said the "young boy is confident."
"When you have Appau a young boy, he gives you what you want, he is very confident, who is not afraid to hold the ball, a good passer of the ball, a strong defender, answers what you request will you dropped him?" Barreto quizzed.
According to him, Appau who scored a solitary goal in the just ended 2020/21 season phoned him after the season to thank him for taking his game to another level.
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In a related development, Ghana U-20 head coach, Abdul Karim Zito claims Kotoko’s centre-half, Andrews Appau was excluded from the Black Satellites call-ups on the account of the former having no knowledge about the young defender.
The 19-year-old missed out in the 35-man-squad called up for early camping ahead of their upcoming international assignment.
Reacting to the defender's omission, Karim Zito said the GPL was not part of his circle of monitoring and thus doesn’t know the Kotoko defender who seemed to have impressed many on his debut season.
“Which Kotoko player? I don’t know him and I don’t watch Kotoko matches, I don’t usually watch matches. I was involved in the Division One, the area which Kotoko is in was not part of my duty, you get it. So the player you are mentioning I don’t know him. But this is not the end.
“There are people who have played in the under 17 and are no more eligible so now we are going to try those who played U-20 and still qualify to play again. Therefore, I have put them together to do the screening and the rest will follow. Now you made mention of Kotoko but unfortunately, the league is over…The last time I got only Amin-Cudjoe from there (GPL).â€
“Kotoko is not interested in these youth, they are interested in those who can play now so I never knew but I will also watch and see.â€
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