GHANA U-20 side is likely to miss the services of injured international midfielder Andre Dede Ayew in the African youth championship due in Kigali next year.

Ayew will not kick any ball for one week because of an ankle injury. The France-based enforcer’s season has been blighted by the ankle injury which has led to his bit-part activity for his club Lorient.

According to Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Ayew, 19, received the news of his latest setback on his birthday on Wednesday when doctors asked him to rest to recuperate.

"It is not much of a birthday celebration is it?” Ayew said. "It is a bit frustrating because this injury has affected me since the African Cup of Nations in February.

"I am conscious I need to be fully fit before January when my national U-20 team will play at the African Youth Championship in Rwanda.

"This one week will ensure that I will recover fully to play for my country.”

Ayew is loan to Lorient from giants Marseille and will revert to his mother club in May next year.

Meanwhile, the Black Satellites’ final build-ups start next week with a programme to screen the foreign-based players to the next Africa Youth Championship in Rwanda.

A legion of youthful Ghanaians currently plying their trade in Europe most of whom have been part of the team’s qualifiers for the Rwanda Championship will be subjected to justifiers alongside their local counterparts when the team resumes camping.

Among some of the notable faces available to Coach Sellas Tetteh are Ransford Osei, (Israel), Rabiu Mohammed(Spain), Abeeku Quansah, Adu Kofi and Andre Dede Ayew( France), David Addy( Denmark), Saddick Adams and Daniel Opare(Spain) and Domnic Adiya.

The Black satellites will spend Christmas in camp emplaning to Kenya for a build-up match in early January.

Ghana has been drawn in Group A alongside Cameroon, Mali and the hosts and opens their account against Cameroon on January 18 in Kigali.

Ends