The ECHO takes a look at how the Africa Cup of Nations could impact Everton as they say farewell to two star players
Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye of Everton acknowledge the fans after the Premier League match between Everton and Crystal Palace at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Both players will represent Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations. Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images
Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye of Everton acknowledge the fans after the Premier League match between Everton and Crystal Palace at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Both players will represent Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations. Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images
Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye have left the Everton camp to report to Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Both players started for the Blues in the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea. Gueye made an immediate return to the first XI following his three-match suspension for his part in an altercation with Michael Keane while Ndiaye struck the post with a late effort in a game that saw Everton create a series of chances.
With the stars scheduled to report for international duty on Monday, the ECHO takes a look at what their departure will mean for a side that has made progress this season - but which has done so with a thin squad that is now without two influential figures.
How long will they be gone for?
AFCON will run until the final on January 18, so Everton could be without Gueye and Ndiaye for up to seven games. The extent of their absence will depend on how well Senegal do, with the earliest potential exit December 30 if they are eliminated in the three-game group stages.
That is unlikely given Pape Thiaw’s side head to Morocco as one of the favourites. The hosts, Algeria and Egypt appear to be the three favoured by the bookies before a ball has been kicked but then come Senegal, who won the tournament for the first time back in 2021.
Senegal face Botswana in their opening game on December 23, Democratic Republic of Congo on December 27 and then Benin on December 30.
What games could they miss?
That schedule guarantees Gueye and Ndiaye’s absence for the rest of this year, ruling them out of the upcoming Premier League games at home to Arsenal and then at Burnley and Nottingham Forest between Christmas and new year.
What happens beyond that depends on how far Senegal get in the competition. Should they make it to the final then they will miss the start of a busy January schedule that will include three home games in a week with Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers visiting Hill Dickinson Stadium before the FA Cup third round tie with Sunderland. The league trip to Aston Villa is on the same day as the AFCON final. Everton host Leeds United on the night of Monday, January 26, by which point the players may have returned even if they made it to the end.
How does this leave the rest of the squad?
The departures come at a bad time for David Moyes. The Blues boss started the season with a thin squad despite the summer representing the first stage of the club’s rebuild and are currently struggling through a mini-injury crisis.
Centre back Jarrad Branthwaite is yet to kick a ball for the first team this season due to his hamstring problems and is not likely to be back before the new year. He has stepped up his training though, as has midfielder Merlin Rohl, who is expected to return ahead of Branthwaite after his own fitness issues.
Everton are waiting for the results of tests on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who was forced off after just 10 minutes at Chelsea on Saturday after suffering what appeared to be a hamstring issue.
Jack Grealish is one of several other players, including Michael Keane, currently managing issues through a tough run of games. One player who is fully fit is James Garner, but he remains one booking from a one game suspension - which is why he was brought off before the end at Stamford Bridge.
Who could benefit?
All of the above does mean there will be opportunities for others to make a push for greater involvement. The most high-profile is Tyler Dibling, the most expensive signing of the summer. The teenager is yet to kickstart his Everton career but he, along with Rohl, have long been on Moyes’ radar as the players he hoped to call upon when AFCON began. Dibling came off the bench at Chelsea.
Carlos Alcaraz started the two previous games and was an early introduction at Chelsea as he replaced Dewsbury-Hall and he, along with Dwight McNeil, could also benefit should Moyes need to adapt the three-man attacking midfield that has been a staple of his side to date. Tim Iroegbunam is likely to gain more exposure in the middle now that he has served his suspension for five yellow cards. Whether full-backs Adam Aznou and Nathan Patterson are handed new chances to show what they can do remains to be seen.