Three Man Utd players will head to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) next week and Ruben Amorim has given an update
Bryan Mbeumo and Amad
Bryan Mbeumo and Amad are leaving for the Africa Cup of Nations next week
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Ruben Amorim is still unsure whether Noussair Mazraoui, Amad and Bryan Mbeumo can face Bournemouth as Manchester United wait to hear when they will leave for their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign. FIFA recently confirmed December 15 as the release window for players involved in the competition, but with United in action against Bournemouth that evening, it led to some confusion as to whether the trio would be available to face the Cherries.
Three days out from the game, Amorim still has no clue whether he can call on those players to face Bournemouth and he has been forced to draw up different plans for the fixture, depending on their availability. He is is hoping the uncertainty will also affect Bournemouth, who can't plan for which United team to face.
"We are still in conversations with national teams, the game is Monday, they are training and we are trying to prepare all scenarios," he said. "It’s frustrating, but at the same time, nobody knows who is going to play, so it’s a good thing. We have players to cope with everything. With a long week you can work on several stuff to prepare the game."
Mazraoui begins his AFCON campaign on the opening day of the tournament (December 21), with Morocco kicking off the competition against Comoros, but Amad and Mbeumo aren't in action until Christmas Eve, when the Ivory Coast play Mozambique and Cameroon face Gabon. It was thought that release dates for the players could differ depending on when they start the tournament, but Amorim said that wasn't clear and that he was hoping to hear by Saturday at the latest.
"I don't know if it’s going to be the same situation," he said. "Every national team has their ideas about when they want the players. I expect today or maybe tomorrow to have a decision, but we are waiting until the last moment to choose the best team."