Manchester United just played their last game with their AFCON tied players. Noussair Mazraoui didn’t get permission from the Morocco Football federation, so he left earlier than Bryan Mbuemo and Amad Diallo. Mbuemo and Diallo took part in the 4-4 draw game against Bournemouth and left shortly after the game.
The AFCON tied players are already leaving to join their countries, and that means Manchester United won’t be with them for around a month for the tournament. The tournament will be held from 21 December 2025 until 18 January 2026.
During that time, Manchester United will have seven matches including the boxing day where they will face Newcastle United on Christmas. If either of those three countries could reach the final, Man United will also miss them in the match against Manchester City at home.
There are some big fixtures where Man United will be without the AFCON trio. Game against Aston Villa next week, the boxing day game against Newcastle, and the FA Cup third round where they have to face another Premier League side, Brighton.
For the game against Villa, not only they will be without the AFCON trio, they will also lose Casemiro who got a yellow card in the game against Bournemouth, and already collected five yellow cards. So he will be suspended for the Villa game.
It is a huge blow for United considering Casemiro is a player that helps The Red Devils get more control in the midfield.
Also read: Manchester United Manager Talk About 20-Year Old Kobbie Mainoo – Price In UK
Manchester United Tactical Change
With Mbuemo, Amad, and Mazraoui leaving, Ruben Amorim will do a tactical changes for the next six or seven games until they all are back. The first change will be on Mbuemo’s position. Mbuemo plays in the right no.10 behind the striker and either Matheus Cunha or Mason Mount will play in that position. Amorim could also use Bruno Fernandes in that position and play Kobbie Mainoo in the CM.
For Amad Diallo, he plays regularly in the right wing-back position and Diogo Dalot was playing in that position before Amorim switched him to play in the left flank. To replace Dalot in the left flank, Manchester United have Patrick Dorgu who was signed to play in the left wing-back position.
Replacing Mazraoui is a bit of a homework for Amorim. He is a very versatile player who can play in couple of positions. He could be as right wing-back to replace Diallo sometimes, and he could also play in the right side center back for Amorim 3-4-2-1.
The main problem for Amorim against Aston Villa will be who to replace Casemiro in the defensive midefielder. Manuel Ugarte is in the difficult moment and made mistakes every time he plays whether as a starter or even he comes from the bench. Mainoo is also a name to play in the Casemiro’s position, but his defensive ability will create a huge hole in the United’s midfield.
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Will Manchester United able to gain many points without some of their players due to AFCON?
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| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal ARS | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 30 | 10 | 20 | 36 |
| 2 | Manchester City MCI | 16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 38 | 16 | 22 | 34 |
| 3 | Aston Villa AVL | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 17 | 8 | 33 |
| 4 | Chelsea CHE | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 27 | 15 | 12 | 28 |
| 5 | Crystal Palace CRY | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 20 | 15 | 5 | 26 |
| 6 | Manchester United MUN | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 30 | 26 | 4 | 26 |
| 7 | Liverpool LIV | 16 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 26 | 24 | 2 | 26 |
| 8 | Sunderland SUN | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 19 | 17 | 2 | 26 |
| 9 | Everton EVE | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 18 | 19 | -1 | 24 |
| 10 | Brighton and Hove Albion BHA | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 25 | 23 | 2 | 23 |
| 11 | Tottenham Hotspur TOT | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 25 | 21 | 4 | 22 |
| 12 | Newcastle United NEW | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 21 | 20 | 1 | 22 |
| 13 | Bournemouth BOU | 16 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 25 | 28 | -3 | 21 |
| 14 | Fulham FUL | 16 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 23 | 26 | -3 | 20 |
| 15 | Brentford BRE | 16 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 22 | 25 | -3 | 20 |
| 16 | Nottingham Forest NFO | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 25 | -8 | 18 |
| 17 | Leeds United LEE | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 20 | 30 | -10 | 16 |
| 18 | West Ham United WHU | 16 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 32 | -13 | 13 |
| 19 | Burnley BUR | 16 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 33 | -15 | 10 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton Wanderers WOL | 16 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 9 | 35 | -26 | 2 |
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