Manchester United and Bournemouth could be without up to 10 players for their Premier League clash on Monday night due to AFCON commitments, injuries and illness
19:19, 14 Dec 2025
Bryan Mbeumo of Manchester United reacts
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Bryan Mbuemo is one of 10 players who could miss Manchester United's game against Bournemouth(Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United's Monday night showdown with Bournemouth could see 10 players unavailable due to injury, suspension or commitments to the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Reds are keeping quiet about the availability of Noussair Mazraoui, Amad and Bryan Mbeumo ahead of Monday's match at Old Trafford. All three are due to leave for AFCON early next week. FIFA has set a release date of Monday, December 15, for clubs to let players go for the tournament, which starts on Saturday, December 21. This has put United in a tricky spot as their game against the Cherries is scheduled for Monday evening.
Club officials have been negotiating with the football federations of Morocco, Ivory Coast and Cameroon about all three players in an effort to secure an extension. This would allow them to play in the Bournemouth match before flying out to the tournament in Morocco.
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 8: Manchester United's Amad Diallo during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United at Molineux on December 8, 2025 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by MB Media/Getty Images)
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Amad Diallo is set to depart for AFCON(Image: MB Media, Getty Images)
United head coach Ruben Amorim voiced his uncertainty in Friday's pre-match press conference about whether the trio would be able to participate in the game when asked for an update on the situation. The former Sporting boss admitted his frustration with the predicament, just three days before the match.
Elsewhere, defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire are sidelined with injuries, while striker Benjamin Sesko remains a doubt due to food poisoning, despite having returned to first-team training after a knee injury.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, will be missing four players. Lewis Cook is serving a suspension, whilst Ryan Christie, Matai Akinmboni and Ben Doak are all sidelined through injury.
When quizzed about United's unavailable squad members on Friday, Amorim acknowledged there might be eleventh-hour calls on certain players. He revealed: "Maguire is out, De Ligt is out. Ben [Sesko], we have to see.
"We have to see if he's available. He had some [food] poisoning, but we'll see. Let's wait. We have two trainings still. The other two are out, Benjamin, we will assess."
Amorim subsequently elaborated on the specifics of De Ligt's fitness concern, after the defender missed both the stalemate against West Ham and last Monday evening's triumph at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
"I think he has something in his back, I don't know for sure," he explained. "Sometimes you see it's not a big injury because he finished the game quite well against Crystal Palace, but he has some pain.
"You sometimes think it will be solved during this week, but sometimes he feels a little bit of pain, and we have to be a little careful with that."
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Regarding those departing for AFCON, he continued: "I expect today to have a decision or maybe tomorrow, but we are waiting until the last moment to have all the players available, to choose the best team to start the game."