Five players who will benefit from AFCON absences: Chiesa, Mainoo and more | OneFootball

The Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in just a few days time and while it gives us some winter international football to relish, it also gives Premier League managers plenty of selection headaches.

A total of 32 Premier League players are currently making their way to Africa ahead of the tournament’s first game on Sunday but when one door closes, another one opens and there will be plenty of players hoping to make the most of some of the absences.

Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United)

Manchester United’s 4-4 draw against Bournemouth gave a sneak peek of how Ruben Amorim may choose to line up once some of his key players depart for AFCON.

The Old Trafford side are the most impacted team behind Sunderland, losing Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo from their starting line-up while Noussair Mazraoui is also departing.

Those players’ absences are not direct competition for Mainoo but it could mean increased minutes should Amorim choose to alter his approach.

With Amad away, the Portuguese boss could deploy a 4-3-3 with Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes and Mainoo occupying the midfield spots and given how much fuss there has been around the England youngster’s place on the bench, it would be a chance to prove he warrants a place when the AFCON boys return.

Federico Chiesa (Liverpool)

If there was a right winger at Liverpool who perhaps deserved a bit of a strop in the mixed zone, it certainly wasn’t Mo Salah.

While the Egyptian was annoyed to spend three games on the bench (the horror), Chiesa must have the patience of a saint after spending pretty much a whole season there.

The Italian was the only arrival of Arne Slot’s first year and just six Premier League appearances were understandable when the man ahead of you is having an all-timer of a season. That becomes a little harder to swallow when said man looks very much like a 33-year-old whose legs have gone.

This year, Chiesa has played 11 league games, none of which were starts, and has more goals and assists than Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz combined, and yet he is still not being picked.

Salah’s departure to AFCON should mean Chiesa gets more minutes but Slot may well choose to keep Dominik Szoboszlai shunted out to the right.

Dan Neil (Sunderland)

It is no secret that Sunderland look set to be the team most affected by the upcoming tournament but of their six departures, it is the absence of Noah Sadiki that will be felt the most.

The central midfielder has been an ever-present and has missed just 24 Premier League minutes this campaign but with the 20-year-old now joining up with his DR Congo team-mates, it leaves Regis Le Bris with a conundrum to solve.

The most obvious answer would be Dan Neil who, despite playing just two minutes in the league this season, featured 47 times during Sunderland’s promotion-winning campaign and will be eager to show that he can perform at the top level too.

The challenge of being a defensive midfielder in the Premier League is far different to being in the Championship but with Granit Xhaka alongside him, Neil will want to use this period to show Le Bris that Sadiki should not be automatically returning to the side once AFCON is over.

Eddie Nketiah (Crystal Palace)

Crystal Palace are only losing one player to the international tournament but it is an important one in the form of Ismaila Sarr.

Only Jean-Philippe Mateta has scored more goals for the Eagles this season and Sarr fits nicely into Oliver Glasner’s 3-4-2-1 formation, but as he joins up with his Senegal team-mates, the Austrian has a problem to solve.

He has already been faced with that conundrum in recent weeks after an ankle injury kept Sarr out for a couple of games but Glasner originally pushed Daichi Kamada forward for the team’s 1-0 win at Burnley.

Eddie Nketiah was chosen for the 2-1 win away at Fulham, in which he scored, and with Mateta unlikely to be dropped from the number 9 spot, this is the former Arsenal player’s best way into the team.

Tyler Dibling (Everton)

Everton are losing two members of their starting XI in Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye and the former’s departure will provide summer signing Dibling with an opportunity.

A highly-rated prospect even in a Southampton team that stunk the gaff out, Dibling has failed to impress since making a move to the Toffees and has played just seven league games so far this season.

With the brilliant Ndiaye, who is the club’s joint top scorer, away with Senegal, Dibling has a chance to start on his favoured right wing and perhaps show David Moyes he deserves to feature there more regularly.