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SIX GAMES MISSED: THE FULL LIST OF PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYERS HEADING TO AFCON 2025

Sunderland loses five players as AFCON 2025 begins. We detail every club's absentee list, including key stars like Salah, Mbeumo, and the Fulham trio.

Six Games Missed: The Full List of Premier League Players Heading to AFCON 2025
AFCON 2025 Takes Premier League Stars

The 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) starts on December 21st, meaning several Premier League players will head off in winter to play for their countries.

The tournament goes from December 21st to January 18th, 2026. Depending on how far their country goes, players could miss up to six Premier League games.

FIFA said recently that clubs can keep players until December 15th before they have to leave for the tournament.

Several Premier League clubs will lose players to AFCON this winter. Here's a list of players going on international duty, according to Flashscore:

Arsenal - zero players

The Gunners don't have any African players in their first-team squad.

Aston Villa—one player

Winger Evann Guessand often plays for the Ivory Coast and is likely to join the current AFCON champions.

Bournemouth—one player

Amine Adli, who signed this summer, should be picked for Morocco, which is hosting the tournament. But Bournemouth will keep Antoine Semenyo because Ghana didn't make it to the event.

Brentford—two players

Dango Ouattara (Burkina Faso) and Frank Onyeka (Nigeria) might be called up by their countries. Onyeka is on the Super Eagles' preliminary list.

Brighton - one player

Carlos Baleba hasn't had a great season, but is still on Cameroon's squad for AFCON 2025/26. Yankuba Minteh will stay with Brighton since Gambia didn't qualify.

Burnley—three players

Lyle Foster is on South Africa's team, and Axel Tuanzebe was picked for DR Congo.

Hannibal Mejbri is also going to play for Tunisia.

Chelsea - zero players

Chelsea doesn't have any African players in their first-team squad.

Crystal Palace—one player

The Eagles have a few first-team players who could have gone to Morocco, but some were injured before the tournament.

Chadi Riad (Morocco) and Cheick Doucoure (Mali) haven't played for the club this season and will miss AFCON. Ismaila Sarr (Senegal) was injured in their December game against Manchester United, so it's unclear if he'll be ready.

Christantus Uche was on Nigeria's preliminary list but didn't make the final team.

Everton—two players

Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye are regular players for Senegal and should join the team before the tournament.

Adam Aznou won't be playing for Morocco, the host country.

Fulham—three players

The Nigerian trio of Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, and Samuel Chukwueze are all on Nigeria's team.

Leeds—zero players

Leeds doesn't have any African players in their first-team squad.

Liverpool—one player

As expected, Mohamed Salah will play for Egypt.

Manchester City—two players

Omar Marmoush will be joining Egypt as well.

Rayan Ait-Nouri hasn't played much recently, but should join Algeria.

Manchester United—three players

Three important players are going to AFCON: Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast), Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon), and Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco).

Newcastle—zero players

Yoane Wissa would usually play for DR Congo, but he wasn't picked because he's currently injured.

Nottingham Forest—two players

Taiwo Awoniyi was on Nigeria's provisional list, as was Ola Aina. But the defender is expected to be out until January with a hamstring injury, and neither made the final team.

Ibrahim Sangare and Willy Boly will both play for the Ivory Coast.

Sunderland—five players

Sunderland will be the most affected club by AFCON, with five of their first-team players confirmed to leave.

Noah Sadiki and Arthur Masuaku are on DR Congo's team, while Chemsdine Talbi (Morocco), Reinildo Mandava (Mozambique), and Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso) were also picked.

Simon Adingra (Ivory Coast) wasn't called up by his country.

Habib Diarra, the club's record signing, is also expected to join Senegal if he recovers from a groin injury that has kept him out since September.

Tottenham Hotspur—two players

Pape Matar Sarr will likely be picked by Senegal. It's not yet known if Yves Bissouma, who hasn't been playing much, will join Mali.

Mohammed Kudus, a winger, plays for Ghana, but they didn't qualify for the tournament.

West Ham—two players

The Hammers will miss defensive duo Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf. Wan-Bissaka has been called up for DR Congo, and Diouf will probably play for Senegal.

Wolves—two players

Only two of a possible five players are set to leave for AFCON. The club is currently at the bottom of the Premier League.

Marshall Munetsi wasn't picked by Zimbabwe, but Tawanda Chirewa will join them. Emmanuel Agbadou was picked by the Ivory Coast.

Tolu Arokodare was on Nigeria's preliminary list but not the final one, and Jackson Tchatchoua wasn't picked by Cameroon.

WHY DID CRISTIANO RONALDO CRY? LUKA MODRIC EXPOSES JOSE MOURINHO’S HARSHEST LECTURE

Luka Modric reveals Jose Mourinho once reduced Cristiano Ronaldo to tears at Real Madrid for failing to track back defensively.

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Modric and Balague confirm the 2013 Valencia clash that shattered Real’s locker room

Luka Modric says that Jose Mourinho once gave Cristiano Ronaldo such a harsh lecture that the guy was in tears.

Ronaldo, who's 40 now, played really well under Mourinho, who's 62. They were together at Real Madrid for three seasons, but apparently, they didn't always get along off the field.

Even though things got off to a slow start, the Portuguese superstar still managed to score 168 goals in 164 games while playing for Mourinho. He also helped Mourinho win three trophies in his first two seasons.

But get this: even with superstars like Karim Benzema and Angel Di Maria on his team, Mourinho was still super critical of Ronaldo's effort on defense.

Modric, who Mourinho signed from Tottenham back in 2013, told a story about one argument that made Ronaldo cry. Apparently, it was because he didn't chase after his assigned player.

"I saw him make Cristiano Ronaldo cry in the locker room," Modric told Corriere della Sera, an Italian news outlet. Can you believe it? A guy who always gives it his all on the field, and he's getting yelled at because he didn't chase some defender.

Modric moved to Real Madrid in 2013 and only played under Mourinho for a year.

Modric, who played alongside Kaka and Mesut Ozil in the midfield after arriving for a big £33 million, didn't say which game the argument happened in.

Guillem Balague, a Spanish soccer journalist, wrote in Ronaldo's biography that Ronaldo and Mourinho almost fought after Mourinho yelled at him in the locker room following a 2-0 win against Valencia in January 2013.

Mourinho was mad because Ronaldo didn't seem willing to help out on defense during the game. And Ronaldo supposedly replied, After everything I've done for you, this is how you treat me? How dare you say that to me!

Later that season, which turned out to be Mourinho's last with the team, Ronaldo was constantly asked about Mourinho's future. "I don't care," he said once. What I care about is my own future and the club.

This was a big change from earlier that year, when Mourinho said before the 2012 Ballon d'Or race, If Messi is the best on the planet, Ronaldo is the best in the universe!

After Mourinho left Real Madrid, he went on Spanish TV to talk about what caused the problems between him and Ronaldo.

"I only had one problem with him," he said. It was simple. When a coach gives a player feedback on tactics, they are trying to help them get better, in my opinion. He didn't take it well because he probably thinks he knows everything, and the coach can't help him.

Mourinho also said that they didn't really have a relationship. But time seemed to fix things, as he later said that coaching Ronaldo was the best thing that ever happened in his career.

Ronaldo also seemed to warm up to Mourinho later on, even saying that he was the best coach he ever had, even better than Sir Alex Ferguson. "I'd put him at the top; I always say that," Ronaldo said.

Ronaldo scored 168 goals in 164 games while playing for Mourinho during their three years together.

Even though Modric didn't win any trophies in his first season at Madrid, he was so impressed by Mourinho that he repeated something Mourinho famously said about himself.

He's special, as a coach and as a person, Modric said. He was the one who wanted me at Real Madrid. I wouldn't have come without him. I'm sad I only had him for one season.

Modric spent 13 years at Real Madrid, mostly managed by Carlo Ancelotti. Now he's at AC Milan and managed by Massimiliano Allegri. But he says Mourinho is the toughest of the three.

He added, "Mourinho is really direct with the players, but he's honest." He treated Sergio Ramos and new players the same way. If he had something to say, he'd say it. Max is the same way. He tells you what's right and wrong to your face. Honesty is key.

Modric also shared his opinion on the never-ending debate of who's better, Lionel Messi or Ronaldo, but said he doesn't really like talking about it.

"I don't like that question," he said. They both defined an era. I'm closer to Cristiano because I played with him; he was my teammate at Madrid, and I can tell you he's not just a great player, he's an amazing person. People don't know it, but he has a big heart and is always ready to help others. He's just a simple, normal guy.

He added, "I don't know Messi personally, but I'm sure he's great too." As a player, he's incredible.

CELTIC FANS DEMAND BOARD SACK WILFRIED NANCY AFTER SHOCK MOTHERWELL DEFEAT TONIGHT

Wilfried Nancy dismisses sack talk after Celtic's 2-0 loss at Motherwell. With Rangers closing in, the Old Firm looms large.

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Wilfried Nancy’s future on the line after fifth loss in seven

After Celtic's fifth loss in seven games under his leadership, Wilfried Nancy brushed off ideas that Saturday's Old Firm game would decide his future.

Tuesday's match at Fir Park, called 'El Passico' due to both teams' open play styles, saw Motherwell outperform the Frenchman's team. Ibrahim Said and Elliot Watt scored on either side of halftime.

The 2-0 defeat, Celtic's 17th this year, meant Hearts stayed three points ahead in the league, while Rangers closed in, now just three points behind Nancy's squad after a 2-1 victory over St Mirren.

At the end of the game, visiting fans chanted for the board to be sacked, and some even demanded the manager's immediate dismissal. When asked if his first derby was a make-or-break moment, Nancy responded, No, not really. Every game matters to me and the team.

I'm not focused on my future. I'm focusing on what I'm doing now, what I need to do to help the team get better, and what we need to do as a team to improve. That's how I see it.

When asked if he understood the fans' deep worry about the lack of progress during his time, Nancy was indignant.

Progress? "There is progress," he insisted. But tonight, the situation and the opponent were tough.

This is a fact. Now, we need to figure out how to get better, and that's what we've been working on from the start. Tonight was rough. That's the truth.

When questioned about feeling the pressure after such a bad start as the champion's manager, Nancy added, As a manager, I don't want this, obviously.

Pressure doesn't change how I think. We know we have to perform well.

But right now, this is how it is. I knew it could be like this. We've had good games at times. Tonight was a hard one.

Regarding whether he was sure he could turn things around, Nancy said, Yes, I'm sure. I had to make some choices about the team tonight. I believe in what we're trying to do and where we're going. This was a hard game, difficult for us, but I think we'll improve.

Motherwell's manager, Jens Berthel Askou, praised his team, saying it was probably their best game of the season.

"We knew we'd probably need our best, most solid, and most complete performance, both with and without the ball, to win," he said.

We've had really big and good performances, but they haven't led to wins against Rangers or Celtic. So, that's what we got, and that's what we needed. It was amazing to see.

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