Unai Emery faces unwanted Aston Villa issue as Evann Guessand announcement made
Unai Emery will be furious after Ivory Coast announced Evann Guessand’s fate for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Guessand has had a tough time at Villa, struggling to make an impact and earn a place in the side on a consistent basis.
However, Emery needs all the help that he can get to maintain the Villans’ brilliant start to the season, and he may be without the 24-year-old at a crucial time.
Guessand has been placed on standby for the tournament, named as a reserve, and the fact that he is in limbo will not please his club boss.
How has Guessand started his Villa career?
Guessand has scored one goal for the Villa Park outfit so far, against Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League.
He has started all five of the Villans’ matches in the competition, but he has not been trusted fully in the Premier League yet.
He has only started six league games, and has one assist in those matches, with just five shots in his 11 total appearances in the top-flight.
He boasts a pass accuracy of 80 per cent, but has created just one big chance, and 0.57 expected assists, per Sofascore.
His impact defensively does not provide much encouragement either, as he has won just 43 per cent of his ground duels and 40 per cent of his aerial duels in the league.
Emery would have hoped to have used the time to allow Guessand to adapt to the English game, but he may not have the chance after the unwanted issue arose.
When will Guessand be away from Villa if he is selected?
If Guessand ends up being a part of the Elephants squad for the tournament, he will leave the Villans on 15 December.
The tournament starts on 21 December, and if the Ivory Coast reach the final, he will be gone until at least 18 January.
If selected, Guessand would likely have time off afterwards too, to recover his fitness, so he may miss the whole of January.
The situation is far from ideal for Emery when it comes to squad planning, but also for the player, as he does not know if he will be part of the competition.
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