Ruben Amorim has not shied away from the blow Manchester United will suffer between December and January when the African Cup of Nations takes place.
Manchester United are currently enjoying an upturn in form after a slow start to the 2025/26 season.
The pressure has been lifted off Ruben Amorim’s shoulders ever since Sir Jim Ratcliffe gave his public backing towards the United head coach. Ratcliffe was adamant that Amorim would get time to turn things around at Old Trafford, and they would not make any knee-jerk decisions.
Since then, the Red Devils have boasted a three-match win streak in the Premier League. Much of that has been done by how quickly some of the new signings have settled.
The standout performer has been Bryan Mbeumo, who has scored five goals in his first 10 matches for United. It also bodes well that Senne Lammens, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko have all contributed to United’s run of three wins.
Amorim will be aiming to keep all of these players fully fit for the rest of the season, in the hope they avoid any injuries or niggles, but some have commitments that will see them absent for a considerable period.
Ruben Amorim warns Man Utd will ‘suffer’ without African stars
The Africa Cup of Nations begins on 21 December and ends on 18 January.
Held in Morocco, there are three United players likely to be involved in the tournament.
Amorim has challenged his United first-team squad to take advantage of the opportunities that will arise when Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast), Noussair Mazraoui (Morocco) and Mbeumo (Cameroon) leave for the AFCON.
Speaking to reporters at his press conference on Thursday afternoon, Amorim was asked about the prospect losing of his African players at such a busy period of the season.
“We have time to suffer with that,” Amorim said. “We are going to struggle a little bit.
“But we already knew [that]. It is going to be an opportunity because when I watch the training, there are players that should be playing, but it is hard with one game to take some players from the team because they are going well also, during training and the games.
“Other players are going to have the opportunity to help us, they are understanding the way we want to play. The change of characteristics are not going to change the idea or the momentum of the team, but let’s use Amad and Bryan in these games and then we will see in January.”
That list could grow to four if Andre Onana is included. The United loanee is enjoying his time at Trabzonspor, and a good AFCON could help him find a new club next summer.
What games could Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo and Noussair Mazraoui miss?
United fans will be wondering what games the African trio could miss when the AFCON takes place.
It will depend on how far each nation goes in the tournament.
The United players involved could miss up to six Premier League matches.
- Aston Villa (A)
- Newcastle United (H)
- Wolves (H)
- Leeds United (A)
- Burnley (A)
- Man City (H)
Moreover, these players are also likely to miss the third round of the FA Cup, which takes place on the weekend of 10 January.
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