It has been confirmed that the 2021 African Cup of Nations will take place during the middle of the Premier League season.
John Bennett of the BBC reports that the competition will run between January and February next year.
It was reported by Soccer Avenue journalist Mansour Loum on Wednesday that the competition could be moved next year and that decision has now been confirmed.
Read Liverpool verdict
This is of course bad news for Liverpool, who could lose both Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane for a small chunk of the Premier League campaign – arguably two of their most important players.
The save and grace for Jurgen Klopp is that the club have time to prepare for this and while it may only be for a small period of the season, it could affect how Liverpool approach the summer transfer window.
Liverpool have already signed Takumi Minamino for £7.25m (BBC) from Red Bull Salzburg and the Reds will need to ensure sure they have sufficient depth in attacking areas next season to cover for Mane and Salah’s absence.
Bennett claims that the duo could miss up to six Premier League games next season, leaving Klopp with some tricky decisions to make. Looking beyond his current attacking trio, the German manager has been reluctant to rotate his squad, with Xherdan Shaqiri starting just twice in the Premier League (WhoScored) this season.
While players like Shaqiri could be considered useful squad players, Klopp may want to look for an upgrade in terms of quality if he knows he’ll have to give them a consistent run in the team during the new year, especially when you consider the fact Liverpool could be in the middle of a title defence at this stage.
