Aston Villa have been handed an unexpected squad disruption just before the festive period, with forward Evann Guessand receiving a late call-up to the Ivory Coast squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.
Late Squad Change Due to Injury
The £26million summer signing from Nice was not in manager Emerse Fae's initial 23-man squad for the tournament. However, he has now been promoted from the reserve list following an injury to star striker Sebastien Haller.
Premier League clubs were mandated to release their AFCON-bound players by December 15. Guessand, not originally selected, was allowed to remain at Villa Park while teammates from other clubs departed. Tournament regulations, however, permit national teams to make changes up to 24 hours before their first match in cases of serious injury, a rule the Ivorian federation has now invoked.
Impact on Villa's Festive Fixtures
Guessand's call-up comes at a challenging time for Unai Emery's side. The forward played in Villa's victory over Manchester United on Sunday afternoon and was replaced in the Ivorian squad less than 24 hours later.
Villa have two crucial Premier League fixtures remaining in 2025: away matches against Chelsea and Arsenal. Guessand, who has struggled for consistent league starts this season, is now set to join the reigning champions in Morocco. If Ivory Coast make a deep run, he could be absent for the best part of a month.
Tournament Rules and Ivorian Ambitions
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) rules state that a replacement can only be approved if the CAF Medical Committee certifies an injury is serious enough to prevent a player's participation. Once approved, the national association must immediately appoint a substitute.
Ivory Coast, the reigning AFCON champions, begin their title defence on Christmas Eve against Mozambique in Marrakech. They will also face Cameroon and Gabon in the group stage, with all three matches at the same venue.
Guessand was also in the provisional squad for Ivory Coast's victorious home tournament last time but did not make the final cut. His late inclusion adds to a contingent of Premier League players in the squad, including Nottingham Forest's Willy Boly and Ibrahim Sangare, Manchester United's Amad, and Wolves' Emmanuel Agbadou.
