The Premier League has always had its fair share of African stars over the years, but that also means that clubs will have to do without some of their best players when the AFCON comes around.
The tournament is set to be played in January 2022 so it’s right in the middle of the Premier League schedule, and it appears the release date of December 27 could be a tough one for Liverpool to take:
The FA Cup game may not be as much of an issue as it’s likely that Jurgen Klopp would rotate his team for that game anyway, but the clash with Chelsea could be pivotal in the title race and being without Mane, Salah and Keita would be a blow for Liverpool.
Thomas Tuchel will also miss a couple of players with Hakim Ziyech and Edouard Mendy likely to play in the tournament too – Mendy in particular will be a huge miss if it’s Kepa who’s given a run of games as his replacement.
It’s possible that negotiations will take place between club and country to see if the players can slightly delay their departure to play in an extra club game or two, while the length of their absence will depend on how deep their country goes into the tournament.
You always want to see your players excel on the international stage, but Liverpool fans may not shed too many tears if Egypt were to find themselves eliminated early…
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