Aside from losing key members of your squad, one of the dangers of in-season international duty is that one of your club's players gets himself injured during his time away from the club.
There isn't any way to fix this problem, because it isn't as though players are going to go off to play for their country only to do so halfheartedly, and so it stands to reason that injuries will happen just like they do during any other football match.
So when Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gana Gueye left to join Senegal for the Africa Cup of Nations, Everton supporters were no doubt concerned on both levels. What would the Everton team look like without two of its most important players? And would both be able to avoid injury during the tournament?
Lee-Roy Kebeya, a reporter for La Chaine Equipe overseeing Senegal's run during the cup, made Everton fans very nervous when he tweeted out that Ndiaye had left the team's 3-0 win over Benin at halftime due to injury.
No doubt, every Evertonian around the world had the same thought: "Everton that."
The worst part was that there was nothing official from Senegal about the injury, and no indication about whether or not Ndiaye would be available for the Lions of Teranga's Round of 16 match against Sudan today.
Fortunately, it looks as though Ndiaye, and by extension Everton, have dodged a major injury bullet. Kebeya noted that while the Toffees' star didn't train on Thursday, he was expected to train on Friday, which came to fruition.
Ndiaye himself spoke to the media in Morocco, indicating that he felt good and was ready to take on Sudan. With the player having started all three matches for Senegal in the tournament so far, that will be great news for fans of the Lions of Teranga.
But it will also be music to the ears of Everton supporters, who have already seen a large contingent of its players get bit by the injury bug since the season began, including defender Jarrad Branthwaite for several months, and more recent knocks to midfielders Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Charly Alcaraz, with defender Michael Keane also adding his name to that list this week.
Getting Ndiaye back as soon as possible is highly needed for Everton, but they also need him back healthy, and, at least for the time being, that seems to be working out in the Toffees' favor.