MANCHESTER, England (AP) – Manchester United are looking to get Brian Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Nousair Mazraoui cleared to play in Monday’s Premier League match against Bournemouth before heading to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Manager Ruben Amorim said he was unsure whether his players would be able to play, with just three days left until the game at Old Trafford.
“We are still talking with the national team,” he said on Friday. “They are here training and we are trying to prepare every scenario for the game.
“It’s frustrating, but at the same time I think it’s a good thing because no one knows who’s going to play.”
FIFA announced earlier this month that it would shorten the mandatory sending-off period for players from 14 days to seven days before the start of a tournament. The players announced they would be released starting Monday, ahead of the season opener on December 21st.
The finals will be held on January 18th, and depending on each country’s performance, the players could be away for more than a month.
United will be without their top scorer after Cameroon forward Mbeumo joins AFCON. He has scored seven goals since joining from Brentford for $87 million in the summer.
Cameroon will play their first match against Gabon on December 24th. Ivory Coast, led by Diallo, will play Mozambique on the same day, while Mazraoui, who represents hosts Morocco, will face Comoros in the opening match.
Amorim said he did not know if all national teams would request the release of players at the same time.
“It depends on the game and every national team has their own idea of when to sign players,” he said. “We expect a decision to be made today or tomorrow, but we are waiting until the last moment to allow all players to choose the best team to start the game.”
Many Premier League players are participating in AFCON, including Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, who plays for Egypt, and Manchester City’s Omar Marmouche.
___
James Robson is https://x.com/James Saran Robson
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
