Arsenal’s Egyptian defensive midfielder Mohamed Elneny has been named in the Egypt squad for the 2017 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be held in Gabon from January 14.
Elneny is heading for the Africa Cup of Nations on January 2, a day before the Gunners match against Bournemouth. Elneny’s exit will leave the club short on options in midfield after Santi Cazorla’s continuous battle against injuries.
Granit Xhaka is yet to full settle into Premier League leaving Francis Coquelin as the only reliable midfielder for Arsene Wenger.
Gunners are currently in contention to challenge for Premier League and do not need a run of poor results to once again ruin their chances of winning the big trophies.
Arsenal will play Sam Allardyce’s Crystal Palace side on New Year’s Day and already have a lot of injury problems to worry about, with Theo Walcott, Kieran Gibbs, Santi Cazorla, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and a few others missing from the squad as well.
However, with German center-back Shkodran Mustafi set to make a return after missing the last few games with a hamstring problem, it is a well needed boost for the squad.