Amorim: Decision imminent on AFCON players
Ruben Amorim says the club expect a decision on whether United's AFCON-bound players will be available to face Bournemouth in the next 36 hours.
Amad (Ivory Coast), Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco) and Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon) have been called up by their respective nations for the tournament, which starts on Sunday 21 December.
The mandatory release date for clubs to release their African internationals is Monday 15 December, the same day that United are set to face Bournemouth at Old Trafford (20:00 GMT).
At the press conference to preview that match, which took place at Carrington on Friday, Amorim explained that there is a chance the players may be able to take part.
Part one: Press conference v Bournemouth
PRESS CONFERENCE | Ruben discusses De Ligt, Maguire and Sesko, AFCON and Monday’s big game against Bournemouth…
"We are still in conversation with national teams," began Amorim. "The game is Monday, they are here, they are training and we are trying to prepare all the scenarios to prepare the game.
"It’s frustrating, but nobody knows who’s going to play. It’s a good thing – we have players to cope with everything and that’s something [you get] with a long week, you can see a lot of things and work on several stuff to prepare the game."
Continuing on the subject of AFCON, Amorim revealed that there might be a different outcome for each player, given their countries have different fixture dates and maybe varying perspectives on the situation.
"I don’t know if it’s going to be the same situation [with each player]," said the boss. "It depends on the games of every national team. They have their ideas about when they want the players.
"I expect today to have a decision or maybe tomorrow, but we are waiting until the last moment to [see if we can] have all the players available, to choose the best team to start the game."
Team news: United v Bournemouth
ArticleRuben Amorim provides an update on three Reds ahead of Monday's clash with the Cherries at Old Trafford.
Once the trio arrive on African shores to take part in the tournament – which is being held in Morocco – they will play a minimum of three games.
That means Amad, Mazraoui and Mbeumo will definitely miss our Premier League fixtures against Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Wolves.
The AFCON final takes place on Sunday 18 January, so there is the additional possibility that some of the Reds involved could also miss our subsequent games against Leeds United, Burnley, Brighton & Hove Albion (Emirates FA Cup) and Manchester City.