West Ham United made an official announcement about their defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka on Tuesday evening.
The DR Congo international has been a regular for the Hammers this season, playing nine of their 13 Premier League games.
Wan-Bissaka even played the full 90 minutes in the recent 2-0 defeat against Liverpool.
Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images
West Ham United make announcement as Wan-Bissaka called up to DR Congo AFCON squad
West Ham took to X on 2 December to relay the news to their supporters that Wan-Bissaka has been called up to the DR Congo side for the upcoming African Cup of Nations.
The former Manchester United defender only recently pledged his allegiance to them, previously contemplating a career with England.
How important has Aaron Wan-Bissaka been for West Ham?
Best ground duel win rates among full-backs in the Premier League this season (75+ contested):
◎ 73.3% – Myles Lewis-Skelly
◎ 63.0% – Joško Gvardiol
◎ 63.0% – Patrick Dorgu
◎ 61.9% – Destiny Udogie
◎ 61.8% – Aaron Wan-Bissaka pic.twitter.com/t1WY0wt6Am
— WhoScored (@WhoScored) May 12, 2025
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Thus far, it is not a decision that he has regretted, as he has been an important part of the Congo side and played a key role in helping them qualify for the World Cup play-offs as well.
While Nuno will be happy that the 28-year-old will be representing his country at a major competition, he will have to cope with his absence for nearly a month.
The AFCON begins on 21 December and runs until 18 January, but players will be eligible to return to club football once they have been eliminated.
Watch everything Nuno had to say before Man United vs West Ham
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How can Nuno deal with Wan-Bissaka’s absence?
Not having his main right-back for the busy festive period is certainly not something that Nuno would have wanted.
However, that is the nature of football and managers have to deal with things that are sometimes not in their control.
Having Kyle Walker-Peters on the bench certainly solves a lot of issues for the Portuguese as he becomes a like-for-like replacement for Wan-Bissaka.
While it is not ideal, Nuno will have to figure out what system best suits the two full-backs and, accordingly, make the changes.
El-Hadji Malick Diouf will also be out on AFCON duty and he’s likely to be replaced by Ollie Scarles, who is returning from an injury setback.
He cannot take a single game for granted as the Hammers are level on points with 18th-place Leeds United and the pressure is mounting on them to get points on the board.
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