Dons striker Sam Baldock speaks from experience when he says football fans in Milton Keynes are in for a treat at stadiummk this weekend.

Because when Ghana line-up against Latvia for their final warm-up game ahead of this summer's World Cup, they'll do so with some young talent whose devastating ability Sam is only too aware of.

Baldock was in the England team dismantled by their Ghanain counterparts at last autumn's FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Egypt. After beating England 4-0 in the group stage, the African side went on to lift the trophy, beating Brazil on penalties in the final.

Three members of that outrageously-talented side have made Ghana's final 23-man squad for South Africa, and all could potentially be involved against the Latvians on Saturday.

Sam recalled: "The lads I played against play with a real freedom, they're not afraid to express themselves and they do not stop running until the final whistle goes. They'll certainly be entertaining to watch.

"I came on against them, totally fresh with 10 minutes to go, saw this full-back bombing past me down the flank and just remember thinking - am I supposed to follow him? The freedom that they approached football with and the energy they showed was a real eye-opener."

Ghana's refreshing attitude to the game left a lasting impression on Dons Academy graduate Sam. He particularly remembers his first encounter with them at close quarters just minutes before the game in Ismailia.

He said: "We came out of the dressing room before the game to find them dancing and singing in the tunnel. We weren't sure whether it was an intimidation tactic or whether they were just really happy people, but they certainly didn't look nervous and when we got out on the pitch you could see why.

"They didn't mind making mistakes and they never got on each others' backs, which made them dangerous because they could improvise without fear."

Of all the players that led Ghana to glory in that tournament, Sam picked out captain Dede Ayew and striker Dominic Adiyiah as the standout performers. Unsurprisingly, both players will be at stadiummk this weekend and subsequently on the plane to South Africa.

Ghana take on Latvia at stadiummk on Saturday.

Sam added: "You never know how well people will go on and do in the future, but we were warned about Adiyiah. He scored twice against us and went on to score eight in the tournament - three more than anyone else - and got a move to AC Milan off the back of it.

"Ayew, the skipper, was the one that really stood out for me, though. He was composed on the ball in midfield, drifted around the pitch to control the game and scored a genuinely world-class goal against us. He was in a different league to most of the players out there.

"It's a shame I'm away on holiday because I would have loved to have seen those lads in the full international environment. They could be players to watch out for at the World Cup."