'I've had many African players Yobo and Yakubu' - West Ham boss on being without some players during AFCON 

West Ham boss David Moyes has underlined that being without a number of his players during the Africa Cup of Nations early in January is nothing new to him, having managed the likes of retired Nigeria internationals Joseph Yobo and Yakubu Aiyegbeni in the past 

Moyes will have to manage his squad during the upcoming tournament in Ivory Coast, with four Hammers in contention to feature in the tournament. 

Mohammed Kudus (Ghana), Said Benrahma (Algeria), Nayef Aguerd (Morocco) and Maxwel Cornet (Ivory Coast) are the players Moyes could be without in an important phase of the season. 

In the worst case scenario, the aforementioned players would not be available for selection in five straight games including back-to-back Premier League matches against Manchester United and Arsenal should their nations reach the final. 

Addressing the media before his side's London derby with Tottenham Hotspur, Moyes was quoted as saying by the official webpage of West Ham: "I've had many African players - Joseph Yobo and Yakubu at Everton when I was a younger manager - and I know the support for the Premier League is huge in Africa.

"Said Benrahma is massive back in Algeria and Nayef Aguerd in Morocco, and it's important we take them back to their part of the world, and the African Nations Cup is part of the world's football scheduling and we'll have some African players who will probably be away."

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations takes place from January 13 to February 11, 2024.

Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey (both Fulham), Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest) and Frank Onyeka (Brentford) are the Premier League players set to be on international duty with the Super Eagles during the Africa Cup of Nations. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

Photo Credit : fifa.com 

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