Man Utd face Bournemouth on the day players are set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and Ruben Amorim is unsure who will be available.
Bryan Mbeumo and Amad
United are awaiting clarity on whether Bryan Mbeumo and Amad can face Bournemouth
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Manchester United are in the dark over whether Noussair Mazraoui, Amad and Bryan Mbeumo will be available to face Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Monday, December 15.
FIFA has confirmed that date is when players should be released for duty in AFCON, with the tournament starting on Sunday, December 21, but it is unclear whether that date is for every player, or whether it will move in line for each nation's first game in the tournament.
Mazraoui's Morocco enter the competition in the first game, but Amad's Ivory Coast and Mbeumo's Cameroon don't play their first games in the tournament until Christmas Eve, which leaves open the possibility they could face the Cherries.
FIFA released a statement earlier this week confirming the release date of December 15, but it didn't offer full clarity on whether that date would be moved if a country began their campaign later. The only Premier League game on the day of December 15 is United's clash with Bournemouth.
Asked if he knew when players would be leaving his squad to link up with their countries, Amorim said: "No, we are dealing with everything. They are going to play the next game and that is the only thing I care."
United are in talks with three different national federations to seek clarity on when they expect players to arrive and whether they can retain their AFCON trio for the fixture against Bournemouth. That is the final game of that Premier League weekend, which means the other 18 clubs will be able to field their players who have been called up.
Meanwhile, Amorim is confident Matthijs de Ligt and Diogo Dalot will be fit to face Wolves on Monday night. De Ligt missed Thursday's draw with West Ham after picking up a knock and Dalot came off not long after scoring, but both could be in contention at Molineux.
Wolves remain winless after 14 games and have just two points, leaving them rooted to the foot of the table. Their dismal record could make this a banana skin for United and Amorim has warned against complacency.
"Everything can happen and that will change," he said. "There is no team in the history of the Premier League that didn’t win one game. It can be any game. So we need to try to improve, rest the players, work really well and prepare a tough match because with us it’s always a tough match."