West Ham United will be without El Hadji Malick Diouf for a while longer after the defender helped Senegal book their place in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations at the expense of Mohamed Salah.
Diouf starred as The Lions of Teranga overcame Salah’s Egypt to move within one game of continental glory.
Cynically from a West Ham United point of view, it’s a shame the defender will not return to the fold at club level just yet.
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West Ham United's Kyle Walker-Peters and Tottenham Hotspur's Destiny Udogie during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium on September 13, 2025 in London, England.
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Though Diouf has perhaps tailed off from his fine form at the start of the season, Nuno Espirito Santo needs all the help he can get on the defensive front right now.
Still, a major international final awaits for the 21-year-old. Diouf played a key role in Senegal’s win over Mali in the semi-final and was heavily involved again on Wednesday night.
Malick Diouf’s stats for Senegal against Egypt
According to FotMob data, Diouf put in a very resolute defensive performance.
In total, he made four defensive contributions in his 90 minutes on the pitch, during which he amassed 73 touches.
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Diouf made two tackles, an interception, a clearance, a headed clearance and three recoveries. He also wasn’t dribbled past once.
Though keeping a player of Salah’s quality at bay is obviously a team effort, it was notable that the Liverpool star didn’t have a single shot, nor did he complete a dribble. In fact, he didn’t even manage a touch in Senegal’s box.
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Nuno Espirito Santo during West Ham United v Brighton & Hove Albion - Premier League
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When Malick Diouf could return to duty for West Ham
Diouf wasn’t part of Senegal’s AFCON win back in 2022, so could be forgiven for having other things on his mind rather than returning to West Ham.
However, Nuno needs all hands on deck right now.
The AFCON final is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 18 January, 2026 at 7pm GMT.
Malick Diouf tackles Mohamed Salah during Senegal vs Egypt in the AFCON semi-finals.
Photo by Samah Zidan/Anadolu via Getty Images
It remains to be seen how quickly Diouf is back in action after that.
For context, Simon Adingra was a Brighton player at the time when he won the 2023 AFCON title with Ivory Coast. That final took place in mid-February 2024 and he was back in action at club level a week later.
Diouf could feasibly be available for West Ham selection once again by the time they host Sunderland on Saturday, 24 January, 2026.
While not always at his very best of late, Diouf has played well for West Ham this season and has certainly taken that onto the international stage.
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