Manchester United has a key test in the Premier League as it goes up against Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Monday night.
A win will take it back up to fifth place in the points table, keeping pace in its bid to return to the Champions League next season.
However, there remains doubts over whether three of its key players — Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui — will be available for Ruben Amorim to choose from for the visit from the Cherries.
The trio are set to join up with their respective national sides for the upcoming AFCON, starting Dec. 21, with Monday being the mandatory date set by FIFA for clubs to release players for the tournament.
READ | Premier League: Full list of players heading to AFCON 2025
Attacker Mbeumo has been named the captain for Cameroon, while winger Diallo and defender Mazraoui have also been called up for Ivory Coast and Morocco, respectively.
Mbeumo is United’s leading scorer in the league with six strikes, while Diallo has chipped in with two assists and a goal.
“We are still in conversations with the national teams, the game is on Monday so they are training and we are trying to prepare all scenarios. It’s frustrating but at the same time nobody knows who is going to play, so it’s a good thing. We have players to cope with everything,” said Amorim.
“With a long week you can work on several things to prepare for the game. Every national team has their ideas about when they want the players. I expect tomorrow [Saturday] to have a decision but we are waiting until the last moment to choose the best team.”
There is still no clarity on whether the three players will be available for United. Meanwhile, its opponent, Bournemouth, has no mid-season AFCON departures to deal with.
Published on Dec 15, 2025
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