Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan says he’s still “down” after missing another crucial penalty for his country and needs time away from international football to get himself “back together.”

The 26-year-old Gyan told South African website supersport.com on Monday that his break from the national team, which was announced this weekend, would help him “come back bigger and mentally stronger.”

The forward had an early penalty saved in Ghana’s semifinal loss to eventual champion Zambia at the recent African Cup of Nations. It was a second major mistake from the spot after his last-second miss at the 2010 World Cup denied the Black Stars a place in the semifinals.

Gyan said he had “never fully recovered” from the 2010 error and the latest miss made it “very hard” for him.

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