Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has explained his decision to deploy Caleb Yirenkyi at right-back, insisting the move was driven by necessity rather than preference.
The FC Nordsjaelland midfielder was fielded in a defensive role during Ghana’s 5-1 defeat to Austria in an international friendly at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna on Friday night.
Yirenkyi endured a difficult outing as the hosts exposed gaps on the right side of Ghana’s defence.
Speaking after the match, Addo pointed to a shortage of options in that position as the key reason behind the tactical adjustment.
“In his club, he has played as a defensive midfielder. We are having problems at that very position [right-back],” he said after the game.
“Caleb jumped into that position. We have a lot of midfielders, and our problem is that side. Now we are happy to get Marvin; he’s new to the system, so we have to see.”
Addo added that the technical team is still assessing new options, including recent addition Marvin, while stressing that midfield remains an area with sufficient depth.
“At the moment, we didn’t have enough options on the right side, and we have a lot of options in the midfield…that is why he [Yirenkyi] predominantly plays there,” he added.
Attention now turns to Ghana’s next assignment against Germany on Monday, March 30, in Stuttgart, with kick-off scheduled for 18:45 GMT. The fixture forms part of the Black Stars’ build-up to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
