Latest Manchester United injuries, suspensions and AFCON return dates after Darren Fletcher's side suffer FA Cup elimination at the hands of Brighton
Bryan Mbeumo of Cameroon during the Africa Cup Of Nations Round Of 16 match between South Africa and Cameroon
Manchester United will soon be able to call upon Bryan Mbeumo again(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
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Manchester United are out of the FA Cup at the third round stage having lost 2-1 to fellow Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford.
United, under the watch of interim head coach Darren Fletcher, were hit by goals from Brajan Gruda and former United striker Danny Welbeck either side of half-time. Benjamin Sesko bundled the ball over the line in response, but with 85 minutes gone it was always going to be an uphill struggle to find a way back into the tie.
Shea Lacey was then sent off - shown a second yellow for venting his frustrations with referee Simon Hooper's decision regarding a foul - and the afternoon ended in the ultimate misery of elimination from the cup.
It leaves United, who will name a permanent successor to Ruben Amorim after the season's end, out of both domestic cup competitions, with no European football, and only a top-six Premier League finish to play for.
For that sole purpose Fletcher - or whoever is interim manager for the remainder of the campaign - will want a number of absent players and restore the squad to full strength.
United's injury list has actually depleted in recent weeks, leaving just Matthijs de Ligt the only individual sidelined. In his case this has been due to a back problem since November, though the central defender does not yet have a return date outlined.
Meanwhile, Lacey's red card on Sunday means he will have to serve a one-match suspension. The 18-year-old will miss next weekend's Manchester derby at Old Trafford and only becomes available again for the January 25 trip to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Following on, United have three more absentees who have represented their countries at this year's Africa Cup of Nations since December - Amad, Bryan Mbeumo, and Noussair Mazraoui.
The tournament has advanced to the semi-final stages, which are to be played on January 14. Both Amad's Ivory Coast and Mbeumo's Cameroon were eliminated at the quarter-final stage.
It means the two attackers should return and become available for the clash with Manchester City on January 17.
As for Mazraoui, he and AFCON hosts Morocco are part of the last-four and will play Nigeria for a place in the final. Regardless of the outcome, the full-back will only be available for United's meeting with Arsenal on January 25 because the losers of the semi-final will contest a third-place play-off on January 17, with the final scheduled for January 18.
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