Ghana midfielder Laryea Kingston hopes to return to full fitness for next month's African Cup of Nations.

The player has been down with an ankle injury suffered whilst playing for Scottish club, Hearts.

Though club doctors had given a lengthy period of recovery, Laryea Kingston is hopeful of making it into the Black Stars team for the Nations Cup finals which kicks off on 20 January with Ghana's opening Group A game against Guinea.

"I'm responding to treatment at the moment and I can see that there's improvement to the injury," Kingston told the BBC.

"I'm very confident that I can make it."

With captain Stephen Appiah out of the Nations Cup due to injury, Kingston admits that he feels under pressure to play.

"It's a severe blow that Stephen is out, so I have to do everything possible to be fit so that I can help the team.

"Everybody in Ghana is worried at the moment, so hopefully I can come back."