Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has admitted the Red Devils may have to struggle a bit when some members of his squad depart for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations set to kick-off in December.
The Red Devils are set to be without several key players, with Bryan Mbeumo representing Cameroon, Amad Diallo featuring for Ivory Coast, and Noussair Mazraoui potentially linking up with Morocco.
Mbeumo has been in fine form this season, netting four goals, including a brace against Brighton and providing one assist, while Diallo has impressed operating as a right wing-back.
Despite recognizing the potential challenges their absences could bring, Amorim insists his focus remains firmly on the fixtures ahead, starting with this weekend’s clash against Nottingham Forest.
“We will have time to suffer. We are going to struggle a little bit, but we already knew it’s going to be an opportunity,” said Amorim.
“When I watch the training, there are players that should be playing, but it’s hard with one game to take some players from the team, because they are doing well also during the training in games. So other players are going to have the opportunity to help us.
“They are understanding the way we want to play, so if we are improving on that, the change of characteristics is not going to change the idea or the momentum of the team. But let’s use Amad and Bryan in these games, and we will see in general.”
The Africa Cup of Nations will kick-off on December 21 with the tournament’s final game scheduled for January 18. Depending on how far the respective nations of the aforementioned players go in the competition, Amorim may have to make do without their services for up to a month.
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