Brighton and Hove Albion manager Roberto de Zerbi has questioned the inclusion of Tariq Lamptey in Ghana's 55-man provisional AFCON squad.

Lamptey is currently recovering from an injury sustained in Brighton's game against Nottingham Forest. In November, Roberto de Zerbi had mentioned that Lamptey would be out for an extended period due to his latest injury.

“We have lost Ansu for a long time. Same for Lamptey, they will be out for long time," he said.

But Chris Hughton has unveiled a 55-man provisional squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with notable inclusions such as Thomas Partey, Tariq Lamptey, and Kamaldeen Sulemana, despite ongoing injury concerns.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) released the list on December 20, just 24 days before the tournament kicks off.

Reacting to this, Roberto wondered if Hughton was up to speed on the current status of Tariq Lamptey.

"Maybe the coach of Ghana doesn't watch the Premier League because I don't know how much time we have playing without Tariq Lamptey and he wants to play with Lamptey. He is not able to play with Brighton, how can he play with Ghana," he said.