For Mensah, Tuesday afternoon at Gillette Stadium isn’t a problem to be solved. It’s a stage to be enjoyed.
Speaking ahead of Ghana’s Group L showdown against England, the Black Stars’ first-choice left-back made no attempt to hide his appetite for the contest that almost certainly awaits him.
As 90 minutes against explosive wingers like Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke await, the Ghanaian says it's a dream come true.
“Yeah, I mean I dream to play against most of the best players in the game. And then coming against players like this is like a dream for me."
“Players like this” means, in practice, an Arsenal duo. Saka, working his way back to full fitness from an achilles issue, trained again with Thomas Tuchel’s squad on Sunday and Monday, and is pushing for a recall to the starting eleven.
Madueke, who won the early penalty that Harry Kane converted at the second attempt against Croatia.
Either way, the man down Ghana’s left flank will spend the afternoon defending against one of England’s sharpest threats.
“I see myself to be a player for big games and big players, so it's time for me to also shine. People are tipping them to be the favourites and whatnot. But then I'm trying to like, make sure that after the game the name, the news is going to change around it.”
Mensah was a key figure in Ghana’s 1-0 win over Panama in Toronto, helping shut down Panama’s wide attacks, especially in the second half.
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That clean sheet has clearly reset the camp’s baseline, and the left-back insisted Ghana arrive in Foxboro with nothing to fear.
“We feel very good. Very confident, obviously, because we've had already three points in our first game. So this is a game that it's like we're going with our free minds, free heads.
"I mean, this is not something new for us. Some of the boys, you know, some of the boys have been playing in England. I've played against couple of the players also in the England team. So, I mean, it's not something that is really pushing us to shake or anything. It's just something that motivates us to do more,” he added.
What does need extra work, he conceded, is England’s set-piece menace; a department where Tuchel’s side were ruthless in qualifying, as they remain a serious threat with Kane, Jude Bellingham, John Stones and Ezri Konsa attacking dead balls.
“Yeah, I think it's not just England. Every game that we go into, we take every aspect of the game very serious. You know, set pieces, the gameplay, whatever. And then we see that they are very strong with that. They're very aggressive in the box, you know, when they're attacking and stuff like that. We are ready for it. We've been working towards it and I think we're gonna make sure that nothing happens.”
The stakes for both sides are stark. England and Ghana both arrive at Gillette Stadium with three points from their openers and a win for either nation all but seals progression to the round of 32 with a fixture to spare.
