MANCHESTER UNITED, Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal are among a host of Premier League clubs who could lose big-name players for up to a month at the African Cup of Nations.
Defending Premier League champions Leicester may be without last season’s player of the year Riyad Mahrez – who netted a stunning free-kick against Lesotho last night – and new signing Islam Slimani.
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While Man United’s Eric Bailly, City’s Yaya Toure, Stoke’s Wilfried Bony, West Ham’s currently injured star Andre Ayew, Toffees’ Yannick Bolasie, Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and Arsenal ace Mohamed Elneny could all be missing.
Bailly, Bone and Toure all represent defending champions Ivory Coast and could be joined in Gabon by team-mates including Sunderland’s Lamine Kone and Bournemouth’s Max Gradel.
Algeria will likely use Mahrez and Slimani and Claudio Ranieri may also be deprived of defender Jeff Schlupp as well as Daniel Amartey owing to Ghana’s qualification.
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There is bad news for Everton chief Ronald Koeman as he is poised to lose £25million man Bolasie through the Democratic Republic of the Congo, plus Idrissa Gueye to Senagal.
The Lions of Teranga could land a further triple-whammy on the Prem, using Anfield star Mane, Hammers ace Cheikhou Kouyate and Stoke’s Mama Biram Diouf.
Crystal Palace midfielder Bakary Sako should join Mali and the Eagles may lose the services of left-back Papa Souare, again to Senegal.
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West Brom’s Allan Nyom can feature for Cameroon, Watford may lose Nordin Amrabat, Egypt will use Elneny and Stoke’s Ramadam Sobhi and Tunisia may pick Sunderland star Wahbi Khazri.
Note there will be no Nigerians in the frame as they again missed out on qualifying for the second straight time after winning the thing in 2013.
The tournament will be held from January 14 to February 5 2017.
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