Aston Villa’s new £30 million signing Evann Guessand will likely head to AFCON later this year

Aston Villa’s new signing, Evann Guessand, could miss several games next season if he is selected to represent Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) later this year.

The tournament runs from December 21 to January 18, meaning Guessand could miss up to seven matches in all competitions, including the FA Cup third-round weekend.

His absence would ultimately depend on Ivory Coast’s progress in the competition, though it is likely that national team manager Emerse Faé will select him.

AFCON begins one day after Villa are scheduled to face Manchester United, with Ivory Coast’s first match coming against Mozambique on December 24. This means there is a chance Guessand could feature against United, depending on the fixture’s exact timing.

If called up, Guessand would miss the Boxing Day trip to Chelsea and likely the December 30 clash away at Arsenal. Ivory Coast’s final group-stage match is against Gabon on December 31.

Should they progress, the round of 16 will be played between January 3 and 6, which would also rule Guessand out of Villa’s home game against Nottingham Forest.