Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac is still coming to terms with news that his star player Michael Essien will not be fit in time for the World Cup.

The Chelsea midfielder was on Thursday ruled out of the finals in South Africa after it was discovered that a knee injury suffered at the African Nations Cup in January is taking longer to heal than initially anticipated.

His absence is a major blow for the Black Stars and their Serb coach, who told the Ghana Football Association (GFA) website, www.ghanafa.org: "I am really disappointed that Michael Essien will not be at the World Cup for Ghana as a player."