Reading manager Jaap Stam has told Get Reading of the reason why Asamoah Gyan failed to seal a shock move to the Sky Bet Championship club. It was revealed that he did in fact fail a medical, but has since moving to UAE Pro-League side Al Ahli.
Checks by the medical team with the Royals confirmed that it could’ve taken the player up to two months to get up to full match fitness. The player himself suggested the deal fell through regarding his potential participation in the mid-season African Cup of Nations. However Stam has since shed further light on the whole episode.
The former Manchester United, Lazio and Netherlands centre back held no punches when asked if the 30-year-old striker failed a medical,
“Yes. He wasn’t in very good shape. When he joined us they did a very good medical on him which was very important because he’s been injured in the past. He hasn’t been playing a lot of games.
“You need to be sure, if you bring a player in, that he’s fit and not that you need to work him for six to eight weeks to get him in shape. And maybe there’s a risk of him getting injured during that period so he’s out for a longer time.
“If he was fit and ready to play for us, then of course we would be happy to let him go to Ghana to play for his country. It’s the same for all the players.
“It’s not about we don’t want him to play for Ghana. To be fair that’s a load of rubbish. It’s not about that at all. If he was fit and ready to play for us at 100 per cent then we would be happy for him to go to Ghana and play his games over there.”
Gyan became one of the highest players in world football when being handed a salary of over £220,000-a-week when being signed by Shanghai SPIG from Al Ain. He has previously spent time in England when enjoying a two-year stint with Sunderland in the Premier League.
