Mohammed Abu

Manchester City and loans

After playing youth football with Sporting Club Accra, Abu signed for English side Manchester City on 31 August 2010. He was immediately loaned to Norwegian club Strømsgodset until June 2011. This was due to Abu failing to get a work permit to allow him to play in England. Abu made his professional debut against Molde on 13 September 2010, coming on as a 60th-minute substitute, in a 3–1 loss. Abu appeared as an unused substitute in the Norwegian Football Cup Final against Follo, as the club won 2–0. At the start of the 2011 season, his performances saw him being named in the league's Team of the Week on two occasions. On 29 June 2011, his loan deal with Strømsgodset was extended until December 2011. On 16 October 2011, he scored his first goal for Strømsgodset, in a 1–1 draw against Sogndal. Despite missing three matches throughout the 2011 season, Abu went on to make twenty–eight appearances and score once in all competitions. In October 2011, Abu signed a new contract with Manchester City, until June 2014. In January 2012, he joined German 2. Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt on loan. Without playing a match, Abu, again, was transferred to Strømsgodset at the end of March. Despite Strømsgodset's best effort to keep the player, it was announced on 12 June 2012 that Abu would be leaving the club at the end of June. Following this, Abu was expecting to join Belgian side Anderlecht. Instead, he joined Spanish club Rayo Vallecano on loan on…

On 9 August 2011, Abu was called up to the Ghana squad for the first time. He made his international debut for Ghana on 8 October 2011, as part of 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification against Sudan, and replaced Derek Boateng in the 75th minute of a 2–0 victory for the Black Stars. Although Abu had appeared just once in qualifying, he was included in Ghana's provisional squad for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations on 15 December 2011. Abu was selected as part of the final 23-man squad on 11 January 2012. He made his debut in the tournament, coming on as a late substitute, in a 1–0 win against Botswana in the group stage on 24 January 2012. After appearing at AFCON, Abu would not be called back into the Black Stars setup for more than five years, until he was called up by head coach James Kwesi Appiah for a set of friendlies against Mexico and the United States in June 2017.

Club

As of 30 September 2018

International

As of 1 July 2017

Growing up, Abu wanted to be a footballer when he was eight years old. In doing so, Abu left his hometown, leaving "his family, friends and security" for Sunyani. There, he joined Sporting Club Accra, joining the academy at twelve years old. According to Tom Vernon, the founder of Sporting Club Accra, he described Abu as "always been confident both on and off the field, always with a smile and a good mood." Growing up, he said his favourite player is Xabi Alonso and he supported FC Barcelona. Abu later considered Ronny Deila to be a father to him, saying: "Ronny was like a father to me. He took care of me. Take care of me. Cooked for me. Taught me to drive. Ronny is part of my family. The estate was my first professional club. Ronny spent a lot of time on me, both on and off the field so I became a better player. He has played a big role in my career."