AFC Asian Cup 2023: Heung Min Son, Kaoru Mitoma and Other Premier League Stars Set to Miss Games

• The AFC Asian Cup will take place in Qatar next year, right in the middle of the Premier League season
• A couple of clubs are set to lose some of their key players if they get called up by their national teams
• We take a look at all the Asian players in the Premier League, their sides and national teams

The English Premier League, just like other major leagues in Europe, will suffer some interruption early next year when some of its top players depart for the Africa Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup.

The two tournaments will kick off and end at almost similar times. The former will be held in the Ivory Coast from January 13 to February 11, while the Asiac Cup will be staged in Qatar from January 12 to February 10.

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Managers will have to come up with new ways to sustain their different objectives when their stars leave. Sports Brief had previously elucidated which players each Premier League team will likely lose should they be called up.

We head East and look at the Asian players the Premier League teams would lose if their respective national team managers called them.

Current Asian players in the Premier League

6. Hwang Hee-chan(Wolves) - South Korea

Gary O'Neill will have to rethink his attack on with Hwang Hee-chan a sure bet to make it into Jurgen Klinsmann's squad.

The 27-year-old has chipped in with eight goals and two assists so far.

5. Saman Ghoddos(Brentford) - Iran

The Bees are currently running low on players, with Ivan Toney still out on also suspension. This season's top scorer, Bumo, is set to be out for weeks, also putting his AFCON participation at risk.

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On top of these woes, Thomas Frank will have to do without Saman Ghoddos, a regular for the Irani national team.

4. Wataru Endo(Liverpool) - Japan

Liverpool's new boy and Stuttgart's former star boy, Wataru Endo, has 50 senior appearances for the Japan national team. He will be looking to make it to the Samurai Blue squad in a bid to better his second-place finish in 2019.

3. Takehiro Tomiyasu(Arsenal) -Japan

The Arsenal fullback has been hampered by fitness issues in North London. He is currently nursing a calf strain that will see him return after the festive period, as reported by Football London.

Should he recover in time, Mikel Arteta will have to contend with his possible absence if Hajime Moriyasu calls him up for the tournament.

2. Kaoru Mitoma(Brighton) - Japan

The talented dribbler will be looking to make his debut in the Asin Cup after starring in the run to the Qatar World Cup last year.

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He has scored seven goals in 18 appearances for the Japanese national team since his debut in 2021, as per Transfermarkt.

1. Heung-min Son(Tottenham) - South Korea

Arguably the most marketable and successful Asin footballer in the Premier League at the moment. Ange Postecoglou will have to do without his captain for an extended period of time as he seeks to win his maiden continental title with his national side.

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Sports Brief also reported that African champions, Senegal hit with a big blow just a month before the start of the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

RC Lens midfielder Nampalys Mendy could miss the tournament after limping off in the game against Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.

Mendy suffered a knock in the 23rd minute and had to be replaced by Younes El-Aynaoui.