Aston Villa will be without Ghana striker Jordan Ayew during next month's African Cup of Nations in Gabon.
Aston Villa have received the dreaded news that Jordan Ayew will be going to the African Cup of Nations next month.
Ayew will represent Avram Grant’s Ghana in the month-long competition.
It could have been worse, but Albert Adomah wasn't included in the Ghana squad.
Villa fans will be taking a very keen interest in the tournament - this is all you need to know about Ayew’s schedule.
When will he depart?
Ayew is expected to join his Black Stars teammates on January 2 in the UAE, the same day Villa take on Cardiff City.
He won’t play his first matches at AFCON before Villa have played Wolves on January 14 but will obviously have to leave well in advance to give them chance to train with their nations.
When will he be back?
It depends on how far Ghana goes. The Black Stars are expected to do well and are among the favourites to win the competition.
Who does Ghana play?
Ayew : Uganda (January 17), Mali (January 21), Egypt (January 25)
Definitely out of...
Spurs (away), January 8
Wolves (away), January 14
Preston (home), January 21
Possibly out of…
Cardiff City (away), January 2
Bristol City (home), January 28
Brentford (away), January 31
Nottingham Forest (away), February 4