A whopping 10 players could be absent from Manchester United’s match against Bournemouth on Monday night, either through injury, suspension or due to participation in the African Cup of Nations. The Red Devils are keeping their cards close to their chest regarding the availability of Nousair Mazraoui, Amad and Brian Mbeumo for Monday’s game at Old Trafford.
All three are scheduled to leave for AFCON early next week. FIFA has mandated that clubs have a release date of Monday, December 15, to release players for the tournament, which begins on Saturday, December 21.
This has made matters worse for United, who are scheduled to play the Cherries on Monday night. Club officials are continuing to negotiate with the Moroccan, Ivorian and Cameroonian football federations for all three players in a bid to secure contract extensions. This will allow him to play against Bournemouth before departing for a tournament in Morocco.
United head coach Ruben Amorim expressed uncertainty over the trio’s availability for the game when asked for an update in Friday’s pre-match press conference. The former Sporting manager expressed his frustration at the predicament just three days before the match.
In other news, defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire have been sidelined with injuries, while striker Benjamin Sesco has returned to first-team training following a knee injury, but his availability remains uncertain due to food poisoning. Bournemouth, on the other hand, will be without four key players. Lewis Cook is facing suspension, while Ryan Christie, Matai Akinboni and Ben Doak remain sidelined through injury.
When asked on Friday about United’s missing squad, Amorim admitted that some decisions may be final. He said: “Maguire is out, De Ligt is out as well. Ben (Sesco) has to wait and see.”
“We need to see if he’s available. He had[food]poisoning, but we’ll see. Let’s wait. There’s still two training sessions left. The other two are out, Benjamin, and we’ll assess them.” Amorim then provided further details about De Ligt’s fitness concerns following his absence in the stalemate against West Ham and last Monday night’s win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
“I think he has something on his back, but I don’t know for sure,” he said. “He finished the game against Crystal Palace very well so you might think it’s not a major injury, but he’s got some pain.
“Sometimes you think it’ll clear up this week, but sometimes he’s in a little bit of pain, so that’s a little tricky.”
As for the players leaving for AFCON, he added: “We expect a decision to be made today or tomorrow, but we are waiting until the last moment to ensure that we have all the players and select the best team to start the game.”
