This won’t matter for some time, but could be beneficial to Liverpool in the long run…
According to BBC Sport, the African Cup of Nations could be turned into a summer tournament, thus ending the biannual pilgrimage of various top players from European clubs over January and February.
In 2016/17, we lost Sadio Mane for nine matches, coinciding with our miserable run that saw us drop out of both cup competitions and the title race.
SEE MORE:
LFC have ‘No Van Dijk alternatives’ – Klopp flatly refuses to look elsewhere
Instead, the AFCON may take place in June and July, much like the World Cup and the Euros, and be held every four years to boot.
On top of this, 24 teams rather than 16 will be allowed to enter.
The discussions are set to take place in Morocco shortly with key delegates from the various African football associations – but with countless top players pulling out of the tournament held six months ago – it seems the only likely course of action.
Our own Joel Matip refused the opportunity to play for eventual winners Cameroon, of course.
For Liverpool, this news is positive – as it means we won’t have to say goodbye to Mo Salah and Mane for a few months every two years – and any other new African signings we choose to bring in.