Essien's move to Madrid came at right time - Kwesi Appiah

Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah has expressed his joy following a season-long loan move for Michael Essien at Real Madrid.

The Ghanaian midfielder joined the Spanish champions on transfer deadline day for a season-long loan deal from Chelsea.

He joins ex-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who signed him from Lyon in 2005, at the Bernabeu.

The 29-year-old, who spent six seasons with the Blues, suffered a series of knee injuries that derailed his career. With the injury problems behind him, Black Stars coach Appiah is tipping him to succeed with Los Blancos.

“I am happy for him,” Appiah told Goal.com Ghana. “I was monitoring Chelsea’s pre-season in the USA and he was not been used in test games and automatically you should know the coach doesn’t want you in his plans.”

He added: “So for me I think this loan came at the right time and is good for his image and that of the country.

“I’m yet to speak to him [Essien] this morning but Mourinho knows what Essien can do and for him to bring Essien to Madrid he knows what he can get out of him. The mere fact that he is not injured at the moment and playing well, personally I think he will be of help to Real Madrid this season.”

Meanwhile, a former Black Stars striker Augustine Arhinful has added his voice to the several Ghanaians who were advocating for a loan move for The Bison.

“I’m very much excited about it because I had said he should move if an offer comes and is a good one and I think I have been vindicated from what I said earlier on and I’m so grateful that he has left,” Arhinful said.

“It is the right decision he made, he has played under Mourinho before and he knows how to get the best out of Essien and I’m very happy for him.”