Man United are currently without three star players as Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo, and Noussair Mazraoui are all at AFCON.
The Red Devils were knocked out of the FA Cup over the weekend, as they lost 2-1 to Brighton under the interim guidance of Darren Fletcher. They face Man City in a crucial Manchester derby next time out on Saturday, and will likely be under the management of a new interim.
It is understood that Michael Carrick is likely to take charge for the rest of the season, and so Carrick will hope that the departed players at AFCON will be available for the game against Man City, but there is no guarantee that they’ll all be back.
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Who will be back for the Man City clash?
In terms of players who are likely to return for United, two names should be back into the squad for the Manchester derby, which is a huge boost for the Red Devils.
Bryan Mbeumo‘s Cameroon were knocked out of AFCON at the quarter-final stage as they lost to Morocco. They lost on Friday, and so Mbeumo should be back well in time for the Man City game. He has been missed as Mbeumo had been United’s best player this season before he left.
Furthermore, Amad Diallo should also be back for the Manchester derby, as Ivory Coast were knocked out by Mo Salah’s Egypt on Saturday, also halting their tournament at the quarter-final stage. Amad should be back for the Man City game, which is great news too.
Man United may have to wait on Mazraoui
Noussair Mazraoui is no guarantee for the Manchester derby however, as the Moroccan left-back will be competing in the Semi-finals on Wednesday night against Nigeria.
If Morocco lose the game, Mazraoui could make a swift return to Manchester before the game on Saturday, but if they win and make the final, the defender won’t be available until Man United make the trip to Arsenal on Saturday 25 January.
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