Manchester City boss Mark Hughes is hoping to open negotiations about departure dates for his players appearing in the African Nations Cup with the intention of keeping their time away from Eastlands to a minimum. Hughes is looking to avoid a situation where City lose key players for up to 10 games due to the tournament.
There is also a suggestion the respective nations will be calling their players into a training camp a fortnight before the tournament actually begins.
"There is a suggestion that there may be a preparation period that has to be factored in, which we are obviously aware of," he said.
"There will be a number of communications between the associations involved in terms of the release date for British-based players.
"A lot of other leagues have a break over the Festive period that allows them to meet up earlier.
"I think there will be an understanding that we have a crucial period of the season coming up and that will be taken into account."
