Michael Essien recover from his knee injury until the end of July, more than two weeks after the tournament was to end. Since then, Essien has announced that he will be standing down from the Ghana national side for the near future in order to focus on his career with Chelsea, having suffered two significant injuries while playing for Ghana in recent years. Having recovered from those injuries, Essien subsequently promised his availability to his nation "very soon". Essien returned to Ghana's squad in August 2013 for the team's final 2014 World Cup qualifiers. He appeared as a second-half substitute in a
Emmanuel "Mannie" Essien Emmanuel "Mannie" Essien Emmanuel Essien (born 26 March 1977) is a Nigerian radio presenter, voice over artist, singer, compere, and former actor. He was the host of the "Good Morning Nigeria" show on Nigerian radio station, 96.9 Cool FM, in Lagos. In March 2015, he was nominated for Hollywood's Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award in USA for best Nigerian On Air Personality. Essien was born in Jos Plateau in Northern Nigeria to retired principal Obong Jo. The last of six children, Mannie grew up in many parts of Nigeria, including Gombe and Bauchi state. He was in Gombe state from 1978