Hafiz Wontah Konkoni, Bechem United’s top scorer in the 2022-2023 betPawa Premier League season, trained with the Black Stars at Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday, June 13, 2023.
The first local player to receive a call-up to the national team since Chris Hughton took over as manager three months ago is the season’s second-highest scorer, behind Abednego Tetteh, with 15 goals in 25 league appearances.
Konkoni, the in-form striker for Bechem United, was among the players who arrived late; Joseph Aidoo, Joseph Paintsil, shot-stopper Lawrence Ati Zigi, and the Ayew brothers were among those who arrived late ahead of their trip to Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Hafiz Konkoni joined the team’s training after missing the earlier session on Monday due to his late call-up by the Black Stars technical team, and he proved to the head coach the justification for his inclusion in his first training with the team.
The former Newcastle United and Brighton manager, Chris Hughton, confirmed in a press conference the splendid performance by the striker of the Hunters that caught his eye and earned him a call-up.
Chris disclosed, “I was fortunate to watch him live last weekend; I have been able to watch him on video. I think he did well today in training. It wasn’t a surprise because he is a player I have enjoyed watching in the Premier League.”
When speaking to the media following Tuesday’s training, Chris Hughton emphasised the quality that has been implanted in the Ghana Premier League’s Player of the Month for April 2023.
Chris prioritised, “He is a young player, so I think he has a lot of development skill. Speaking to him, I think he is quite a mature player for his age.”
