Ghana will miss influential midfielder Michael Essien for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations after he privately conceded that he won’t play again until April.

The 28-year-old is recovering from his third serious knee injury in as many years after rupturing a cruciate ligament in pre-season with Chelsea.

It was originally thought that the Ghana international could recover by December, making him fit for the Cup of Nations early next year.

The Ghana FA was confident of using him at the tournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea as he was expected to have recovered by the start of the competition.

But a report carried in and English newspaper the Evening Standard says Essien will be missing for longer than originally thought.

His return has now been pencilled for April which means he will miss the three-week tournament which starts on 21 January next year.

As he is undergoing physiotherapy to recover from injury, Essien is aware that rush to return to the field could be counter-productive.

He said: “My days are filled with physio sessions from 10am to 5pm and it is a gradual process which I am confident will lead to the results I want.

“I much prefer to be with my team-mates in training and on the field of play, however I know I have to be patient so I can heal properly.

“I have been asked when I am coming back and at this point in time it’s down to how the recovery goes and when I am given the all-clear by the medical team. It’s too early to give specific dates.”