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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
Sport
Richard Forrester

Bristol City star to take on Brazil after being called up for international duty

Antoine Semenyo has been called up to the Ghana squad for their September international friendlies against five-time world champions Brazil and Nicaragua.

The Bristol City striker, 22, has been rewarded for his impressive impact following his return from injury having scored three times in his four appearances from the substitute bench.

He made his Black Stars debut in a 3-0 victory over Madagascar in the opening group game of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers but his call-up was cut short after sustaining a shin injury in June.

Semenyo then returned to BS3 to undergo his rehabilitation after it ruled him out of pre-season. He returned from the bench in a 20-minute cameo against Wycombe in the Carabao Cup.

It's brilliant news for the striker who could come up against the likes of Thiago Silva and Marquinhos in the Brazilian side but also a clear indication that he's in contention for their World Cup squad when the tournament gets underway in November.

Ghana will have one more warm-up game against Switzerland in November before their tournament gets underway against Portugal. They then play South Korea and Uruguay before determining whether they have progressed into the knockouts.

Following his injury on international duty in the summer, there's the obvious and understandable risk that something similar could occur given Semenyo is such an important player in City's system.

However, Nigel Pearson has always been hugely supportive of Semenyo's international exploits, saying he would never stand in the way between the player and representing his country. After returning injured in June, the manager said: "I'm delighted for him and his family that he made his debut for Ghana.

"His federation were very diligent in making sure they looked after him and that he came back so we could make decisions on how to deal with his shin problem."

Semenyo should have made his debut in March when he was called up for a double-header of fixtures against Nigeria but was forced to pull out after jarring his knee while playing for City.

Former City academy goalkeeper Jojo Wollacott was also called up for the upcoming friendlies having cemented his place as the country's No1.

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