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Tariq Lamptey, the defender for the Black Stars, expressed his admiration for head coach Chris Hughton after he was appointed the team’s manager. Hughton, the former Norwich City boss, assumed the position before the Africa Cup of Nations matches against Angola in March, with Ghana winning one and drawing the other.
Although Tariq could not play for the national team because of his injury concerns since Hughton took charge, he previously worked with the 64-year-old as the team’s technical advisor during the 2022 World Cup. The 22-year-old prayed Hughton’s personality and coaching experience in an exclusive interview with Joy Sports.
“I’ve known Chris for some time now, and he’s remarkable. His coaching career speaks for itself, and we are all thrilled to work under his guidance,” Tariq stated. “Chris is an outstanding individual, and you can see that both on and off the pitch.”
During the World Cup, Tariq started in just one of the team’s three games and came off the bench in the opening match against Portugal. However, he remains optimistic about reclaiming the spot after fully recovering. The Brighton and Hove Albion defender is competing with Alidu Seidu and Denis Odoi for the right-back position.
“In football, it’s like anything else. You need to be fit first,” he explained. “Ensure proper recovery, maintain a good diet, get sufficient sleep, and train hard to regain my peak performance. We will see what the coach decides by training well and performing at a high level.”
Hughton will oversee his third game as the manager of the Black Stars when they face Madagascar in the upcoming qualifier this month.
