Selection headache for Amorim as United’s key trio could be set to miss 7 huge matches over winter

The African Cup of Nations will soon be upon us and will mean some of the Premier League’s most talented players will be on international duty this winter. The tournament is scheduled to take place in Morocco from the 21st December until the 18th January. Whilst United won’t be the most affected Premier League team, they will certainly lose some quality options, particularly down their right hand side. Bryan Mbeumo Probably the biggest potential loss to Ruben Amorim’s side will be Mbeumo, who signed in the summer from Brentford. Mbeumo has scored six goals so far this season and has helped transform United’s attack. Cameroon would be expected to go quite far in the tournament but they are hardly in peak condition after failing to qualify for the World Cup. United’s on loan keeper Andre Onana will also be in action. Amad Amad will be another big loss at right wing back as he will be representing the Ivory Coast. The Ivorians will also be considered one of the teams that will go far this winter and Amad is likely to be central to this. Noussair Mazraoui Finally, Mazraoui is another right wing back option that will be off the table for Amorim for the Christmas period and beyond. Morocco will be considered one of the key favourites to win the cup and especially with the added advantage of hosting the tournament. Therefore, United fans can expect Mazraoui to be away from the club for the maximum time possible. What games could they miss? The Athletic report that “the earliest that any of the three players could return to Manchester would be after their final group game — December 29 in Mazraoui’s case, and December 31 for Mbeumo and Amad.” This means “the trio are likely to miss at least three Christmas fixtures — Aston Villa away, and Newcastle and Wolverhampton Wanderers at home — and potentially a further four games, including the FA Cup third round.” United could technically lose these players on 8th December but African nations and English sides usually negotiate to allow key stars to join up later. Therefore, it is probable that the three players will be allowed to play in United’s home match against AFC Bournemouth on the 15th December. It is highly likely that all of United’s stars will go deep into the tournament, so missing Leeds on the 4th January, Burnley on the 7th is a big possibility. United are scheduled to play Manchester City on the 17th January but Morocco, Cameroon and Ivory Coast could all be in final or third place playoff action, so it is also possible United won’t have any of their African trio back for this game. All three should definitely be available for the trip to Arsenal on the 25th January. Featured image Michael Reagan via Getty Images – The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.