Former Ghana international Laryea Kingston says competition level and regular club football should be central to any decision on selecting players for the Black Stars.
Kingston has expressed an interest in succeeding Carlos Queiroz as Ghana’s senior national-team coach, following the Portuguese manager’s departure. He believes players should be competing at a high standard and regularly getting minutes for their clubs before being considered for international selection.
The former midfielder said the strength of the league in which a player competes should be among the first issues examined by those choosing the squad.
“First of all, which level are you playing in? Your team and the level of league that you are playing, competition that you are playing in,” Kingston said in an earlier interview with 3Sports.
He said Ghana should mainly look to players competing in some of the strongest leagues in the world. Those based outside the top 10 leagues, he added, would have to show exceptional quality to merit a place in the Black Stars.
“It’s very important. First, a senior national team player should be playing, at least our target should be like top 10 football countries, top 10 leagues,” he explained.
“Unless if you are outside top 10 leagues, you must be extraordinary.”
Kingston also stressed that playing in a strong league should not, by itself, guarantee selection.
He wants the Ghana Football Association to assess whether players are actually featuring regularly for their clubs, rather than simply being included in matchday squads. Starting matches, receiving minutes and displaying good form would all be important factors in his approach.
“So we focus on that. Then two, are the players regular, playing actively, not making the squad, but getting minutes? One, starting, getting minutes, we can work out and you look at the form of the players,” he added.
The comments come as Ghana continue their search for a new head coach after Queiroz left his position.
Kingston has been developing his coaching credentials since retiring from playing and has made clear his ambition to manage the Black Stars. The former Hearts of Oak and Ghana midfielder believes a transparent and consistent selection process would be vital if he were given the opportunity to take charge.
His proposed approach would place emphasis on three areas: the standard of the competition a player faces, their involvement at club level and their current form. Players outside the strongest leagues would still be considered, but Kingston says they would need to demonstrate extraordinary ability.
For now, he remains focused on strengthening his coaching profile while putting forward his case for the vacant Ghana role.
