Ruben Amorim has revealed he is still uncertain whether Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo and Noussair Mazraoui will be available for Manchester United's Premier League match against Bournemouth on Monday. The trio have been called up for the Africa Cup of Nations, which begins in Morocco on 21 December, with Monday being the mandatory release date set by Fifa.
Diallo (Côte d'Ivoire), Mbeumo (Cameroon) and Mazraoui (Morocco) are subject to ongoing discussions between the club and their respective national associations. Fifa has stated it will mediate if disputes arise. Amorim said: '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.'
Despite the uncertainty, Amorim remains pragmatic: '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.' He expects a decision by Saturday but will wait until the last moment to select his strongest side.
United sit sixth in the Premier League, having lost just once in their last nine games. Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt remain sidelined through injury, but Benjamin Sesko could return after recovering from food poisoning. 'He has some food poisoning but let's wait – we still have two training sessions,' Amorim added.
Looking ahead to Monday's fixture, Amorim acknowledged Bournemouth's quality under manager Andoni Iraola: 'It's a top team, top manager. I don't look at the results, I look at the way they face every opponent: they press really hard, they are direct in the game. I expect a really tough game but we need to win, especially at home.'
