Latest Leicester City news as final Africa Cup of Nations squad confirmed – and the Foxes could be affected
Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca could be handed a selection headache in a potentially crucial time for the club’s promotion hopes due to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Qualification for the tournament finished this week, with all of the participating countries now confirmed. The tournament was originally scheduled to take place in the summer. However, the decision was taken to reschedule the event due to the rainy season in host nation, the Ivory Coast.
The tournament will now take place in January and February – in the middle of the Championship season. Players involved will therefore miss games for their clubs, although just how many will depend on how far their nations progress..
For City, up to four players are expected to be involved in the competition and will therefore miss matches. Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho (Nigeria), plus Patson Daka (Zambia) and loanee Abdul Fatawu (Ghana), have all been involved in their nation’s squad for qualification games this week, and all three have now booked their place at the tournament.
Speaking as City closed in on a deadline day move for Everton striker Tom Cannon, Enzo Maresca explained how Afcon was in his thinking when moving for reinforcements in that position. The involvement of both Iheanacho and Daka would have left Jamie Vardy as City’s only forward option during the tournament.
Games kick off on January 13 with the final taking place on February 11. City players involved could therefore miss up to six Championship games. They are Coventry (A), Ipswich (H), Swansea (H), Stoke (A), Watford (A) and Sheffield Wednesday (H), which takes place two days after the final.
Depending on how far their teams get in the tournament, players could potentially return earlier and get straight back into league action.