Should Avram Grant push Schlupp into Ghana XI after sterling season?

Ghana defender Jeffrey Schlupp has had a surreal week.

The Leicester player has been handsomely rewarded for an impressive season with two awards at the club’s Awards Gala. The young left-back, 22, was shunted between the position and left-wing, sometimes even being deployed as an auxiliary striker.

But it appears he didn’t think the his teammates thought so highly of him.

“Wow. I can’t really find the words to describe the feeling, but again I’m very, very grateful to win the award voted for by my actual team-mates.

“I couldn’t have done it without them so I’m very, very grateful. To be appreciated and voted for by fans means a lot to me too. It feels amazing.

“For me personally it’s the first season where I’ve played more or less week in, week out. I think that game against Sunderland where we stayed up has been the highlight. It was probably the best moment of my entire career actually.”

His performances earned him the Young Player Of The Year and the Player’s Player Of The Year awards.

The Foxes have been rugged this season. At times it seemed a foregone conclusion that relegation was their lot but they have rallied brilliantly to keep their heads above water.

“I’ve always said in every interview that we’re a very tight bunch,” he added.

“The people that we’ve added to the squad have gelled in perfectly and like I said, we’re a tight bunch. When we were at the bottom for all those weeks and months it just brought us closer together actually. It’s a great bunch of lads, we’re very close and it’s a special moment.”

The Ghana question

Schlupp will not now aim to be a key part of Ghana’s quest to scale the 2017 Afcon qualifiers whoch begin in June. Avram Grant is expected to name his squad, which is very likely to have Schlupp, next week.

Having been dropped from the Afcon 2015 squad because of injury, the question is if he has been good enough since to get a starting. This, at a time when Baba Rahman – Ghana’s default left back these days – has been in equally great form in Germany.

Avram Grant has shown a propensity to play Harrison Afful in the position, too.

With Andre Ayew, and Mubarak Wakaso also proficient on that side of the field, it is likely Schlupp could have a place on the bench against Mauritius on June 14.

–

Follow Gary on Twitter: @garyalsmith