BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes is set to lose Aaron Mokoena for a three-week period during the New Year after the midfield hardman has indicated his intention to lead his country in the African Nations Cup.

Mokoena, nicknamed 'The Axe', will be on duty with South Africa at the tournament in Egypt, which runs from January 20 to February 10, and he could end up missing four Premiership games as a result, including the visit to Newcastle on January 21 and a home date with Manchester United on February 1.

The 24-year-old, who captained his country in Saturday's Nelsen Mandela Challenge defeat to Senegal, said: "The reports about me not being available for Egypt are nonsense.

"I will be leading my country in the biggest continental showpiece there is."

South Africa have been woeful in recent times and they recently failed to secure a place at next summer's World Cup finals in Germany.

However, Mokoena sees the African Nations Cup as a perfect opportunity to repair wounded pride before he and his team-mates start working towards the 2010 World Cup, which South Africa is hosting.

"The African Nations Cup finals in Egypt are just around the corner. We lost out on the World Cup in Germany next year and we must come good in Egypt," said the former Ajax star.