Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is yet to hear whether Nousair Mazraoui, Amad and Brian Mbeumo will be available to face Bournemouth in the Premier League on Monday.
Manager Reuven Amorim remains in the dark over whether Nouseir Mazraoui, Amad and Brian Mbeumo will be available for Monday’s game against Bournemouth as Manchester United await clarity on when they will depart for their African Cup of Nations (AFCON) duties. FIFA recently set a release date for players taking part in the tournament on December 15, but United are due to play Bournemouth on the same evening, creating uncertainty as to whether the trio will feature against the Cherries.
Just three days before kick-off, Amorim still doesn’t know whether he can trust these players against Bournemouth and has had to prepare multiple tactical approaches for the match based on their potential availability. He is optimistic that the disruption may also worry Bournemouth, who are unable to prepare for which United side they will face.
“We are still talking with the national team. The game is on Monday, they are training and we are trying to prepare for all scenarios,” he explained. “It’s frustrating, but at the same time it’s good because no one knows who’s going to play. We have players who can handle everything. If we have a long week, we can work on some things to prepare for the game.”
Mazraoui is scheduled to begin his AFCON campaign on the first day of the competition (December 21) against Morocco and Comoros, while Amad and Mbeumo will not feature until Christmas Eve, when Ivory Coast take on Mozambique and Cameroon take on Gabon.
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It was speculated that the players’ release dates could change depending on the start date of the tournament, but Amorim said this was not certain and hoped to have clarity by Saturday at the latest. “I don’t know if it will be the same situation,” he commented.
“Every national team has their own ideas about when to sign players. We expect a decision to be made today or tomorrow, but we are waiting until the last moment to choose the best team.”
United defenders Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt remain absent from the game against Bournemouth. However, striker Benjamin Sesco could play for the first time since injuring his knee at Tottenham five weeks ago.
“Maguire is out, De Ligt is out, too,” Amorim said. “Ben, we have to see.
“We need to see if he is available. He had (food) poisoning, but we will see. Let’s wait. There are still two training (sessions) left. Benjamin will be evaluated by us.”
“(De Ligt) has something in his back. I don’t know for sure. He had a very good game against Crystal Palace so it may not be seen as a major injury, but he does have some pain.”
“So sometimes you think it’s going to go away by the end of the week, but sometimes he’s in a little bit of pain and we have to be careful about that.”
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