Manchester United will soon be without Bryan Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui when the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in a couple of weeks
Manchester United will be without a trio of starters soon ahead of AFCON beginning in a couple of weeks(Image: Getty Images/Pick the Team)
Manchester United returned to winning ways on Monday night as they thrashed Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-1 at Molineux. It ended up being a comfortable night for the Reds with Bryan Mbeumo getting back on the scoresheet alongside a Bruno Fernandes brace and Mason Mount.
United also started Amad and Noussair Mazraoui in the victory which could be an issue for the Reds heading into Christmas and the New Year. Mbeumo, Amad and Mazraoui are all set to join up with their respective national teams for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) this month.
The exact date of their departure is unknown but it is expected to be sooner rather than later. Following the victory over Wolves, Ruben Amorim remained hopeful the trio would be retained for the Bournemouth game next Monday. He said: “The club is talking with the national teams. Let’s wait for the middle of the week. I don’t know for sure, but we are doing our job and the national teams are talking with us and that is a good sign.”
Mazraoui’s Morocco begin their campaign on Sunday, December 21, the same day as the Reds travel to Aston Villa in the Premier League. As for Mbeumo’s Cameroon and Amad’s Ivory Coast, their AFCON starts a little later on Christmas Eve. As Amorim suggests, the departure dates of the trio shall become clear this week but the plan for what the team will look like after they leave needs to be made now.
So with this in mind, MEN Sport has taken a closer look at how the Reds could start without their African trio over the next few weeks. The first port of call is the defence where Mazraoui has been picked ahead of Leny Yoro in recent games. The Frenchman appeared to have the right centre-back position locked down until a tricky spell against Everton and Crystal Palace saw him lose his place in the starting XI.
Yoro has been brought on as a substitute and you would expect with the Moroccan unavailable, he will slot back into the team there. When fully fit, Matthijs de Ligt would join the defence but after Amorim admitted he did not know when the Dutchman would return, in the meantime Ayden Heaven should fill in.
Next is the right wing-back position occupied by Amad. The Ivorian has been the standout wing-back at the club this season, adapting to the position well. Diogo Dalot has shown signs of improvement in recent matches and the natural decision would be to move him over to his preferred right side with Patrick Dorgu recalled on the left.
Dalot and Dorgu have shared responsibilities on the left but the former should look a lot more comfortable on the right in Amad’s absence. Arguably the biggest miss will be Mbeumo. He was back on the scoresheet on Monday night and is the Reds’ top goalscorer with six goals in the Premier League – ranking him joint fifth in the entirety of the top flight.
Matheus Cunha’s return from injury is a positive for United as he can slip into the No.10 role alongside Mason Mount who is enjoying his best stretch of form since moving to Old Trafford from Chelsea. This would mean either Joshua Zirkzee or Benjamin Sesko, when fit, would lead the line.
Amorim said last month Sesko would return around the same time as the players leaving for AFCON would depart. His agent has insisted his return will be ‘very soon’ but it remains to be seen whether the Slovenian will be back for the first game without the trio.
United starting XI without AFCON trio: Lammens; Yoro, Heaven, Shaw; Dalot, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mount, Cunha; Zirkzee
How Manchester United could line up without AFCON trio Bryan Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui