MANCHESTER United and Liverpool have each lost an important player, but in the Premier League it is Leicester City for whom the Africa Cup of Nations is the biggest inconvenience.

    While United center-back Eric Bailly has been called up by the Ivory Coast and Liverpool has lost Senegalese flier Sadio Mane, Leicester has had to cede Riyad Mahrez, Islam Slimani and Daniel Amartey.

    Leicester is fighting to avoid being dragged into a relegation dogfight and left-back Christian Fuchs says it is a chance for the squad’s fringe players to prove their worth.

    “These are very essential players for us,” Fuchs told local newspaper the Leicester Mercury.

    “We can talk about how it will hurt us and make us weaker, but it is the time for the other guys to step up and show they are needed.”

    Mahrez, 25, was named African Player of the Year last week for his starring role in Leicester’s 5,000-1 title triumph.

    Although he has gone off the boil this term, the quicksilver Algerian winger remains a key figure for Leicester and with seven goals in all competitions he is the club’s leading scorer.

    He is joined in Algeria’s squad by Slimani, who has scored six goals since his switch from Sporting Lisbon.

    Completing the triumvirate is Ghana midfielder Amartey, but his compatriot Jeff Schlupp remains at Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri’s disposal after missing out on selection by Avram Grant.

    While the three absentees will be missed, Ranieri can count himself lucky that Nigeria is not among the 16 teams assembled in Gabon.

    Nigerian forward Ahmed Musa scored twice as Leicester came from behind to beat Everton 2-1 in the FA Cup on Saturday and his international teammate Wilfred Ndidi has just arrived in a move from Genk.

    Bailly’s departure leaves Manchester United light in central defense, particularly with Marcos Rojo having sustained a muscular injury during Saturday’s 4-0 FA Cup win over Reading.

    Mane will be missed by Liverpool, having scored nine goals since arriving from Southampton to help Jurgen Klopp’s side climb to second place in the table.

    Chelsea has learnt to rue the Africa Cup of Nations in the past, having seen stars such as Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and Salomon Kalou wrenched from their grasp mid-season.

    But with Nigerian Victor Moses the only African player in Antonio Conte’s first-team squad, they will be completely unscathed by the latest edition of the tournament.(SD-Agencies)