“We are still in conversations with the national teams,” Amorim said on Friday. “They are here, they are training, and we are trying to prepare all the scenarios for the game. It’s frustrating, but at the same time nobody knows who is going to play, so it’s a good thing, I think.”
FIFA recently shortened the mandatory release period for AFCON participants from 14 days to seven days before the tournament starts. Players are now expected to join their national squads from Monday, ahead of the opening matches on December 21. Depending on how their countries perform, some players could be away for over a month, with the final scheduled for January 18.
United faces the potential loss of Mbeumo, the club’s leading scorer with seven goals since his $87 million summer transfer from Brentford. Cameroon begins its AFCON campaign against Gabon on December 24, while Diallo’s Ivory Coast faces Mozambique on the same day, and Mazraoui’s Morocco takes on Comoros in the tournament opener.
Amorim noted that each national team has its own schedule and demands for player release. “It depends on the games; every national team has their ideas about when they want the players,” he said. “I expect today to have a decision or maybe tomorrow, but we are waiting until the last moment to have all the players to choose the best team to start the game.”
The issue affects multiple Premier League sides, with several players, including Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush, also set to participate in AFCON this year. United’s situation highlights the balancing act between club commitments and major international tournaments during a congested season.