Opoku Nti reveals what Kotoko forward Stephen Amankona needs to do to produce the magic of Chelsea

Opoku Nti has advised struggling Asante Kotoko forward Stephen Amankona to work extra harder to get back to his normal self.

Amankona joined the Reds on a three-year deal from Berekum Chelsea this summer and is expected to play a key role in Kotoko’s quest to snatch the league trophy and the FA Cup from arch-rivals Hearts of Oak.

The nimble-footed player enjoyed a remarkable 2020-21 campaign with the Bibires, scoring 15 goals on all competitions, coupled with 7 assists, alongside three man-of-the-match awards in the GPL before moving to Kumasi.

His performances in the first two games he has started are not convincing, and some Porcupines are getting impatient, though it is early days yet.

Many thought the 21-year-old would arrive and immediately start scoring goals just as he did in his time at Chelsea, and that they would get the opportunity to witness those wonderful skills but that’s not happening and he is slowing.

However, Opoku Nti, who’s a legend of the club and also one-time General Manager has advised the 21-year-old to double his effort at training if he wants to be same player he was seasons ago.

“Demand from Kotoko is huge so he has to do extra, he (Amankona) should know when I say extra because during my time, I used to train three times in a day and that was my weapon,” he said in an interview with Oyerepa FM.

“It takes just a game to be famous but how to maintain it is the problem because when you become a target for every club they make sure they match you boot for boot, assign players to you during match days to play you dirty so you can be changed so you also need to do extra to maintain yourself which is very important”

Meanwhile, league leaders Asante Kotoko will play Gold Stars on Friday in match day three fixture at the Dun’s Park.