Arnaud Djoum is in the Cameroon squad for the 2017 African Cup of Nations

Djoum has made the final 23-man selection for the tournament in Gabon, which begins a week on Saturday and runs until February 5.

He will now miss Hearts' Scottish Cup fourth round tie against Raith Rovers on Sunday, January 22. Depending how far Cameroon progress, he could also miss key league matches against Celtic (January 29), Rangers (February 1) and Motherwell (February 4).

The 27-year-old, born in the Cameroon capital of Yaounde, has won all three of his international caps since joining the Edinburgh club in September 2015. He is seen as an influential player at Tynecastle but was released for the African Cup of Nations with his club's blessing.

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The Indomitable Lions are in Group A for the tournament alongside the host nation, Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau. They are expected to progress through the group stage to the knockout phase, which starts with the quarter-finals on January 28.