MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United are negotiating to receive last-minute clearance for Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui to play in the Premier League match against Bournemouth on Monday before the trio travel to the African Cup of Nations.
Coach Ruben Amorim said he does not know if the players will be available, with just three days left before that match at Old Trafford.
“We are still in talks with the national teams. They are here, they are training and we are trying to prepare all the scenarios for the match,” Amorim said on Friday.
“It’s frustrating, but at the same time nobody knows who’s going to play, so I think it’s a good thing,” he added.
FIFA announced this month a reduction in the mandatory period in which players must be released – from 14 to 7 days – before the start of the tournament. He indicated that the players would be released starting Monday before the opening match, scheduled for December 21.
Players could be out for more than a month, depending on how their countries perform. The final will be on January 18.
The participation of Cameroonian striker Mbeumo in the continental tournament means that United will be without their top scorer. He has scored seven goals since signing for 87 million from Brentford in the summer.
Cameroon will debut against Gabon on December 24. On the same day, Diallo’s Ivory Coast face Mozambique, while Mazraoui represents hosts Morocco, who face Comoros in the opening match.
Amorim said he did not know if all national teams would demand that players be released at the same time.
“It depends on the games, each national team has its ideas about when they want the players,” he commented. “I hope to have a decision today or maybe tomorrow, but we are waiting until the last moment to have all the players and have the best team to start the game.”
Several Premier League players are participating in the African Cup, including Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) and Omar Marmoush (Manchester City), both from Egypt.
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