Bryan Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui will all be heading to the Africa Cup of Nations with their respective countries, with a supercomputer predicting when they could return to Manchester United
Manchester United are bracing for the absence of three key players in the coming weeks as Bryan Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui all head off to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations. The tournament, staged by Morocco, begins on Sunday with the hosts facing Comoros.
The final is scheduled to take place in Rabat on Sunday, January 18 and United supporters will be keen to know when their trio could return. According to a new Afcon Supercomputer prediction, Morocco are favourites to secure their first Afcon title since 1976.
The prediction, made by Afcon betting experts at BookmakersCameroun.com, suggests that the host nation will edge out Senegal with a 1-0 victory in the final. If this comes to pass, United full-back Mazraoui won’t be available for manager Ruben Amorim until the away match against Arsenal on January 25.
In contrast, Mbeumo’s Cameroon are predicted to make an early exit at the group stages, which could see him return for United’s away game at Leeds on January 4. While such an outcome would not go down well with Cameroon and Mbeumo, it certainly would for United, who would have one of their leading players back available before long.
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The supercomputer also forecasts that Senegal will eliminate Amad’s Ivory Coast in the semi-finals with a convincing 3-0 win. However, he would still miss the Manchester derby on January 17 as it coincides with the third-place playoff – a match the Ivory Coast are predicted to lose to Uganda on penalties.
Therefore, the prediction suggests that Amad is likely to rejoin the squad around the same time as Mazraoui, potentially in time for the late January clash with Arsenal. In what could prove to be the tournament’s most shocking result, Egypt and their talisman Mohamed Salah are tipped to suffer a 1-0 defeat to Comoros in the round of 16.
South Africa and Algeria, both having secured their spots at next year’s World Cup, are anticipated to progress to the quarter-finals, whilst Tunisia, another World Cup qualifier, are forecast to bow out before the knockout phases. Amorim faces the challenge of finding answers with Mbeumo, Amad and Mazraoui sidelined for the coming period, and former United defender Paul Parker reckons it will prove an enormously tough assignment.
He said: “It is impossible for Man United to cope with the loss of Mbeumo when he leaves for the AFCON. They simply can’t. They have no one close to his level, so they will struggle without him.
“He is going to be a massive miss, and I can’t see how they can do anything without him. We have to remember that he is one of the best players in the league, and he is definitely the best player from Manchester United.
“He is seriously scary on that right hand side, but who should replace him? Amad Diallo is gone as well. Will they play Mason Mount or Zirkzee there? Gosh, I can’t imagine how that is going to look.
“Of course, Amad will be a massive miss as well,” Parker added. “Man United might have to change their whole approach, because nothing will come from that right hand side without them. Amad is a big threat and we can see that in every game. No one is able to take on their opponent like him, so no one can replace him.
“Combined with both of them being out, that is going to be a nightmare. It will be a true nightmare, and I don’t really have faith that other players can step up to their level, which is normally expected at a big club like Manchester United.”
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