Bundesliga side Augsburg have braced themselves for life without in-form left Baba Rahman who will be away with Ghana during the Africa Cup of Nations next year.
Augsburg head coach Markus Weinzierl has lined up 28-year-old Marcel De Jong to step up when the outstanding left-back is away in Equatorial Guinea.
Rahman has been a revelation since joining last summer.
But Weinzierl says he has already figured out how to cope without his influential player.
ââ¬ÅWe have already thought about his absence and we have a couple of players that are doing well,â⬠he said.
ââ¬ÅMarcel De Jong is one exciting player who can really play in a lot of positions.
ââ¬ÅI look at my team and I fix players who want to play so I keep it open, but for now Marcel is fit for the job.ââ¬
Rahman is expected to miss the resumption of the second half of the Bundesliga with games against Hoffenhiem, Dortmund and Frankfurt all coming too early for him.