AFCON 2025: Man Utd and Sunderland among Premier League clubs most affected, Arsenal least – Between the Lines | Football news
Premier League players participating in CAN 2025 left to join their national teams this week ahead of the tournament opening on Sunday, when hosts Morocco take on Comoros.
The called-up players could be out for more than a month, with the tournament final scheduled for January 18. So which Premier League clubs will be most and least impacted?
Between the lines analyzes the figures and examines the challenge some clubs face in adapting, including Manchester United.
Which clubs have the most players at the CAN?
A total of 32 Premier League players are taking part in the tournament, representing 14 of the 24 competing nations.
As the graph below shows, Sunderland are those who lose the most players with six. Their total is double that of any other Premier League club and the highest of any club in Europe’s major leagues.
It features two players who played an important defensive role in holding midfielder Noah Sadiki and left back Reinildo.
The pair have helped the Black Cats keep five clean sheets so far this season in the Premier League, the latest coming in Sunday’s Wear-Tyne derby, in which they played the full 90 minutes.
Manchester United lose three players, Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui, as well as Fulhamin Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey and Samuel Chukwuemeze, and Burnleyin Lyle Foster, Hannibal Mejbri and Axel Tuanzebe.
Seven clubs lose two players, including Manchester Cityin Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri, and three other clubs lost a player, including Liverpool to Mohamed Salah, who left after impressing coming off the bench against Brighton.
Six clubs, including Arsenal, have no player at the CAN
Leaders Arsenal are one of six Premier League clubs not to lose a player in the tournament.
Which clubs are losing the most important players?
Losing players is one thing, losing important players is another.
In terms of minutes played by players participating in the CAN, Sunderland emerge once again as the most affected.
Their six players called up for the tournament have played a total of 4,412 minutes in the Premier League this season. Sadiki and Reinildo make up around half of that total, but Chemsdine Talbi and Bertrand Traoré also feature regularly.
Sunderland players participating in the AFCON have played 4,412 minutes in the Premier League this season
Fulham are next on the list in second position, just ahead Manchester United in third place, with both teams losing players with just over 3,000 minutes played in the Premier League.
For the Cottagers, the biggest losses, in terms of minutes played, were to Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey, who both represent Nigeria. For United, it is the Cameroonian Mbeumo and the Ivorian Amad.
Everton And Western Ham are next in the standings, with Ndiaye, Idrissa Gueye, Malick Diouf and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, all regular starters who have played over 1,000 minutes in the Premier League this season.
Which clubs are losing the most offensive threat?
While Sunderland will have to make do without essential defensive players, the other clubs will have to make do without essential attackers.
Manchester United And Fulham respectively lose 11 goals with the departures of Mbeumo, Amad, Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze.
Man Utd and Fulham players at the CAN scored 11 goals.
Everton are next, with eight defeats, six of which came from Ndiaye, while Salah’s involvement means Liverpool lose seven, with the Egypt international adding his latest goal with his assist off the bench in his final appearance before the tournament against Brighton.
Which clubs have the most difficult matches during the CAN?
When ranking each club’s next six Premier League matches, between now and the end of the AFCON on January 18, based on their opponents’ league positions, Villa Astonwhich does not lose any players in the tournament, has the busiest schedule. Liverpoolwithout just Salah, has the simplest schedule.
Is Amorim’s system change due to CAN?
The clubs most affected by the CAN of course had time to prepare by knowing which players were likely to participate in the tournament well in advance.
In That of Manchester United In which case, did Monday’s meeting with Bournemouth at Old Trafford hint at Amorim’s plans?
He loses two key players from his favored system, Amad and Mbeumo, who occupy the right-back and right-side No.10 spots respectively in his 3-4-2-1 formation.
Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo play as right-back and right No.10 respectively in Ruben Amorim’s preferred 3-4-2-1 system.
But the 4-4 draw against Andoni Iraola’s side, in which Amad and Mbeumo made their final appearances before the tournament, saw an unprecedented change in form from the head coach.
Ruben Amorim moved to four against Bournemouth
For the first time at United, Amorim moved from a three-man defense to a four-man defense, a significant tactical adjustment which could be a response to the loss of Amad and Mbeumo during a busy run of matches.
How Amorim adapts is just one of many questions as Premier League clubs face their AFCON absentees.
Can Sunderland maintain their brilliant start?
Will Salah’s prolonged absence help or hinder Liverpool?
And could Arsenal take advantage of the fact that no players are involved?
This weekend’s Premier League fixtures will give us our first clues.
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