Nuno Espirito Santo says West Ham AFCON absences could open door for two particular players

With the Africa Cup of Nations set to kick off next week in Morocco, several Premier League sides will be missing players over the next few weeks.

West Ham United are among them, with full backs El Hadji Malick Diouf and Aaron Wan-Bissaka having already joined up with Senegal and DR Congo, respectively, ahead of the tournament.

That means the Hammers will need fill those two spots as both Diouf and Wan-Bassaka are regular starters under Nuno Espirito Santo, but the manager believes he's got a pair of players ready to go in Kyle Walker-Peters and Ollie Scarles.

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West Ham face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday in a match that will test their entire squad, let alone one weakened by two important absences, but you won't hear any complaints from Espirito Santo. 

“There are two points [on Diouf's and Wan-Bissaka's international obligations]," Espirito Santo said. "I’m happy for them, because I think it’s important to go and represent your national teams. But, as a squad, we are going to miss them.

“We have to deal with the situation, though. AFCON is something that’s been in the schedule, so it’s up to us to find solutions.

"We have to find players who can come into those positions, and Kyle and Ollie are the natural options."

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