Manchester United could be without Andre Onana, Sofyan Amrabat, Hannibal Mejbri and Amad as the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicks off in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on January 13.
The opening game sees hosts Ivory Coast take on Guinea-Bissau on the same date at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in a game that could feature United winger Amad as well as former players Wilfried Zaha and Eric Bailly.
The competition takes place between January 13 and February 11, despite being referred to as AFCON 2023. The tournament was originally scheduled for June-July 2023, meaning African players will miss out on any Premier League action. However, it was moved to avoid a potentially disruptive period of rain in Ivory Coast.
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United’s back four will miss the Premier League games against Tottenham Hotspur (January 14) and West Ham United (February 3) at Old Trafford and games against Wolverhampton Wanderers (January 30) at the Molineux Stadium and against Aston Villa ( February 10) at Villa Park.
They are highly unlikely to feature in the FA Cup third round against Wigan, where the Reds welcomed 8,000 away at the 25,000-capacity DW Stadium. However, no date has yet been set for when clubs must release their players for the tournament.
It depends on how far their nations progress, but all four players are likely to return for United’s first Premier League trip to Kenilworth Road to play Luton on February 17.
Erik ten Hag’s side could be the second most affected team in the Premier League along with Brighton. Nottingham Forest are the worst affected, and are likely to be missing seven players. Liverpool’s title challenge will be hampered by the absence of Egyptian Mohamed Salah. So who could United be without?
Andre Onana
Onana will be the biggest loss for the Old Trafford team. The club’s first-choice goalkeeper has played every minute of United’s Premier League campaign this season, keeping six clean sheets in the process.
The Cameroonian has made a number of costly mistakes this season, most notably against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray in the Champions League. He admitted he has not been happy with his performances at United since signing for £47.2million in the summer.
He retired from international duty in December last year after being sent home from the Qatar World Cup following a row with coach Rigobert Song. Onana has since returned and will look to help improve on Indomitable Lions’ third-place finish in the latest edition of the tournament.
Altay Bayindir will likely replace Onana in goal for United. He is the first Turkish player to sign for the club, although he is yet to make his debut.
Sofyan Amrabat
Amrabad has yet to fully impress United fans with his performances since signing on loan from Fiorentina on transfer deadline day. The Moroccan has been capped 50 times and performed strongly as the African side became the first team from the continent to reach the semi-finals at a World Cup. They are ranked 13th in the world, the highest of any African team, but have not won the AFCON in 47 years.
With Casemiro still injured, Erik ten Hag will have to rely on the services of Scott McTominay and Kobbie Mainoo in the midfield positions.
Hannibal Mejbri and Amad
Hannibal is a Tunisian international and Amad plays for Ivory Coast. Hannibal has only played 130 league minutes this season, while Amad has not featured at all due to injury. It won’t be such a significant loss for Ten Hag.
The AFCON 2023 final will be held at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium on February 11. The Asian Cup will also be held between January 12 and February 10. United will not be without any players for the tournament.