Manchester United are at a crucial juncture in their 2023-24 season and will be desperately searching for back-to-back wins to get their season back on track. However, head coach Erik ten Hag will have to deal with absentees due to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 which will kick-off in January in the host country Ivory Coast.
Ten Hag will have to deal with the absence of goalkeeper Andre Onana and midfielder Sofyan Amrabat as the duo will join their national teams Cameroon and Morocco, respectively. They are set to miss multiple games, depending on their teams’ run in the tournament in Ivory Coast.
The number of Manchester United games that Onana and Amrabat will miss will depend on how well Cameroon and Morocco perform in AFCON 2023.
The African Cup of Nations (AFCON) is scheduled to get underway in Ivory Coast on January 13. Cameroon will take on Guinea in their group stage opener on Monday, January 15. Morocco will face Tanzania in their opening game two days later.
It has been reported that Manchester United has managed to get into an agreement with Cameroon over a delayed release of Onana. The Red Devils and the goalkeeper’s national team have agreed that the player will travel to Ivory Coast to join his international team-mates straight after the club’s game against Tottenham on January 14, just in time for the national team’s opening game a day later.
Considering such an agreement and if Cameroon gets knocked out of the group stage, Onana is likely to miss only the fourth round of the FA Cup and that too if Manchester United get past the third round. If the club and the national team exit the FA Cup in the third round and AFCON in the group stage itself, respectively then Onana won’t miss any game time for the Premier League side.
If Cameroon reach the final of AFCON 2023 which will be played on February 11, then Onana could miss up to four club matches including a potential FA Cup fourth round tie.
As for Amrabat, he is also set to miss a minimum of two games – against Wigan and Tottenham – or three games if the club gets into the fourth round in the FA Cup. If Morocco reaches the final of the competition, the player will miss games against Wolves, West Ham and Aston Villa.
Fans will be hoping Manchester United can manage to pick up points despite missing these two players as it is a crucial period of their 2023-24 season.