Manchester United plan to hide the outcome of talks over the availability of Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui for Monday’s meeting with Bournemouth until the last minute, a report has claimed.
United welcome Bournemouth to Old Trafford on the evening of Dec. 15, which just so happens to be the deadline for teams to release the players who have been called up for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations tournament. In the case of the Red Devils, that is Mbeumo (Cameroon), Amad (Ivory Coast) and Mazraoui (Morocco).
“We are still in conversations with national teams,” Amorim said on Friday as he confirmed he expected an answer in the 24 hours that followed.
Presumably, the answer to Amorim’s selection dilemma has already arrived but the Manchester Evening News state United will keep the decision behind closed doors in an attempt to surprise Monday’s opponents.
United are under no obligation to reveal the availability of the trio until the deadline of 75 minutes before kick-off, and they are expected to take advantage of every possible second.
Benjamin Sesko a Surprise Doubt vs. Bournemouth
Centre-back duo Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt remain unavailable for United but there was initially confidence that Amorim would face no further fitness issues after it emerged striker Benjamin Šeško was nearing a return from a knee injury.
Unfortunately for Šeško, his comeback may have been delayed by a case of food poisoning which Amorim confirmed could force him back on to the sidelines temporarily.
“Ben, we have to see,” Amorim said of the striker. “We have to see if he’s available. He had some [food] poisoning but we’ll see. Let’s wait.”
No further update has been revealed but there has been significant speculation on social media that Šeško will not recover in time for the visit of Bournemouth, who are looking to spoil United’s bid to climb closer to the Champions League qualification spots.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man Utd Plotting Team News ‘Secret’ for Bournemouth Clash.