Preko, himself an ex-youth international fast tracked into the Black Stars in the early 90s by then Ghana coach Otto Pfister fears the practice leaves a gap in the development of the players. The former Anderlecht star has already spotted some promising gems for Ghana at the Africa Youth Championships where he is assistant to Orlando Wellington but says car must be taken in ensuring the develop the right way. “Our two strikers (Kwame Nsor and Richmond Boakye Yiadom) have what it takes to get far. They just have to show it because if you don’t show it on the pitch when you are needed, it doesn’t do much for how good you are,” Preko told KickOffGhana.com. “I think we should not rush them from a tournament like this. Two years ago we were the best at Under-20 level but now we couldn’t even qualify for the U-23 olympics. That shows we are rushing the boys. From here we want to go to the Black Stars straight away. Most of the guys have their minds on the Black Stars from here but those days it wasn’t like that. You progressed gradually. “We should not rush the boys because it is going to get choked and when it gets choked what happens to those who get left behind? “These days it is easy to go to Europe. Any agent can buy you a ticket, get you a justifier and if you are lucky you find a club. It does not mean the player is ready for the black stars. We need to open our eyes well otherwise we will struggle,” he adds. CLICK HERE for the AYC news, fixtures, results and tables.
Don’t rush youth stars, Preko warns
