diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/70122-improve-error-message-ssh-client-is-not-found.yml b/changelogs/fragments/70122-improve-error-message-ssh-client-is-not-found.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..cd60ca3f93e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/70122-improve-error-message-ssh-client-is-not-found.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+bugfixes:
+  - SSH plugin - Improve error message when ssh client is not found on the host
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/ssh.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/ssh.py
index 222703d7009..924604421b1 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/ssh.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/connection/ssh.py
@@ -818,12 +818,17 @@ class Connection(ConnectionBase):
                 p = None
 
         if not p:
-            if PY3 and conn_password:
-                # pylint: disable=unexpected-keyword-arg
-                p = subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdin=subprocess.PIPE, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE, pass_fds=self.sshpass_pipe)
-            else:
-                p = subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdin=subprocess.PIPE, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
-            stdin = p.stdin
+            try:
+                if PY3 and conn_password:
+                    # pylint: disable=unexpected-keyword-arg
+                    p = subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdin=subprocess.PIPE, stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+                                         stderr=subprocess.PIPE, pass_fds=self.sshpass_pipe)
+                else:
+                    p = subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdin=subprocess.PIPE, stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+                                         stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
+                stdin = p.stdin
+            except (OSError, IOError) as e:
+                raise AnsibleError('Unable to execute ssh command line on a controller due to: %s' % to_native(e))
 
         # If we are using SSH password authentication, write the password into
         # the pipe we opened in _build_command.