The departure of key players for the Africa Cup of Nations has left several Premier League clubs facing a month without their primary goalscoring threats.
The reality of the mid-season tournament is hitting home for several clubs, with Liverpool lose their all-time leading Premier League scorer, Mohamed Salah, at a critical juncture in the title race.
Simultaneously, Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United must navigate a difficult festive period without the prolific Bryan Mbeumo.
While the bigger clubs are expected to use their squad depth to bridge the gap, newly-promoted Sunderland face an even tougher challenge, having lost six first-team players to the tournament just as they were pushing for a top-four spot.
AFCON kicks off in Morocco on Sunday, with the final on 18th January.