Update: Amad, Onana and Mazraoui could miss 10 Man United matches after controversial FIFA decision News

Manchester United could be without several players for the months of December and Janaury

Manchester United could be without Andre Onana, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui for a significant number of games next season after it was announced that the Africa Cup of Nations has been pushed back until December.

The 2025 edition of AFCON was initially scheduled to take place in Morocco during the months of June and July, but that has been changed to accommodate the new look FIFA Club World Cup format.

As a result, the continental competition will begin on December 21, 2025, and run until January 18, 2026, when the final is contested at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat.

It means those called up to represent the 24 teams who have qualified for the tournament will miss some of the Premier League season, leaving the likes of United, Liverpool and City without a string of key players at a decisive point of the campaign.

Cameroon, Morocco and the Ivory Coast have all qualified for the showpiece finals, which means the aforementioned United trio could miss as many as six Premier League games and potentially one European fixture if Ruben Amorim’s side were to qualify for the Champions League or Europa League next term.

The trio could also miss the FA Cup third round and potentially the two-legged Carabao Cup semi-finals, depending on how far their sides progressed in the knockout stages – which run from January 3 until January 18.

It means, hypothetically, Onana, Amad and Mazraoui could miss as many as 10 games for United across all competitions next season, which would be quite a headache for Amorim as he craves a successful first full season at Old Trafford.

Ironically, Onana was dropped for United’s last Premier League match, Sunday’s 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United, after his pair of mistakes in the Europa League quarter-final draw with Lyon a few days earlier.

Amad, meanwhile, has been sidelined since February after suffering a serious foot injury, though Amorim is hopeful the Ivory Coast international will feature for the Reds again before the end of the season.

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