Brandon Thomas-Asante out to test England as Gary Neville recalls ‘devastated’ sale | OneFootball

Brandon Thomas-Asante is looking to dent England’s World Cup hopes on Tuesday after propelling Ghana’s late win over Panama.

He came off the bench on Thursday and his driving run set up Caleb Yirenkyi’s stoppage-time winner. “The Ghana fans went mad - Brandon set it up ... I love Brandon, he deserves it,” Gary Neville said on Sky’s Overlap 'Stick to Football' podcast.

Whether that cameo earns the former West Brom striker a start against his country of birth remains to be seen. Ghana face Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions in Boston in their second Group L match on Tuesday night.

Thomas-Asante’s rise has accelerated since leaving The Hawthorns in 2024. Signed from League Two Salford City for around £300,000 in 2022, he scored 21 in 78 for Albion before a move to Coventry for a fee in excess of £2 million.

He has 18 goals in 76 games for Coventry, who stormed to last season’s Championship title under Frank Lampard. Thomas-Asante featured in 32 league matches, starting 21, and scored 13, and will play in the top flight this season after a four-year climb from the fourth tier.

“He had a buyout clause in his contract of a few hundred grand and Brucie rang me up on holiday and said he wanted to do the buyout clause. I was happy for him but I was devastated,” Neville added.

Jordan Ayew led the line from the start against Panama as the Black Stars target another upset.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com