Sheffield Wednesday could lose two players for up to six games due to international call-ups
Sheffield Wednesday may have to do without the services of both Yan Valery and Sean Fusire towards the end of the year.
Valery, who has been a key component for the Owls this season, and Fusire, a regular in the matchday squad, have both received call-ups to their respective national teams of late, and if they make the cut for the African Cup of Nations in Morocco later this year then it could spell trouble for Henrik Pedersen, especially considering their already threadbare squad and inability to sign new players.
The AFCON is due to get underway on December 21st in Rabat, and Valery - a big player for the Eagles of Carthage as they qualified for the 2026 World Cup - feels almost guaranteed to be named in Sami Trabelsi’s squad. Fusire’s place in the squad is not so certain after he missed the last camp, but whether he’s named in next month’s squad for the Warriors’ WCQ fixtures will give a better idea of Michael Nees’ idea.
The African Cup of Nations could cause a problem for Sheffield Wednesday
In terms of the tournament itself, Zimbabwe are the first in action, taking on Egypt on December 22nd, followed by games against Angola and South Africa on the 26th and 29th. Tunisia, meanwhile, get underway vs Uganda on the 23rd, before facing Nigeria on the 27th and Tanzania on the 30th.
So with the group stages alone, should Valery and/or Fusire be called up to the competition then they’ll likely miss the trip to Ipswich Town December 20th) and definitely the home games against Hull City December 26th) and Blackburn Rovers (December 29th) as well as potentially the game at Preston North End (January 1st).
Should either side progress further, then the game at Queens Park Rangers as well as at home to Portsmouth could well be in doubt as well. The tournament’s final is on the 18th, so even if Tunisia/Zimbabwe went all the way, then they’d possibly be back for the visit of Birmingham City to Hillsborough on January 20th.
It’ll be a predicament for Wednesday’s Danish boss, who has already had to call upon a number of youngsters to deputise this season, and he’ll be hoping to at least have a few more players back from injury by the time any of his players get on a flight to Morocco.
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