Mbemmo is expected to participate in the Bournemouth match, while Mazraoui might be absent! Amrabat hints at using one player

Manchester United has not revealed if Mbemmo, Amad Diallo, and Mazraoui will be available for Monday’s match against Bournemouth. It is said the club will withhold this information to make it harder for opposing manager Andoni Iraola to prepare. Nevertheless, the club’s official social media shared images of Mbemmo training on Sunday, hinting he might play. This could also be a tactical ploy to confuse the opposition.

FIFA has set the deadline for releasing players for the Africa Cup of Nations as Monday, December 15. Clubs must allow players to leave for national team duty before this date, since the tournament starts on Saturday, December 21. However, this rule poses a challenge for Manchester United, as the Premier League scheduled their match against Bournemouth on Monday evening.

Manchester United has negotiated with the football associations of Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Morocco, hoping to retain three players for this Premier League round before they depart. Fans may only find out if Mbemmo, Amad, and Mazraoui will appear at Old Trafford shortly before kickoff. Still, the club’s official account posted three smiling training photos of Mbemmo, raising hopes that the £71 million signing will be available to play.

If Manchester United wins against Bournemouth, they will climb to fifth place in the league standings. However, Amrabat will need to secure victory without Mazraoui, as the schedules of other Moroccan internationals suggest this right-back’s participation is unlikely.

In La Liga, Real Betis also plays against Rayo Vallecano on Monday night. The BBC reported that Pellegrini has confirmed the unavailability of Moroccan players Sofyan Amrabat and Abdellah Ezazouli, as Morocco hosts their opening Africa Cup match on the same day.

Both Betis players have been granted permission to join Morocco’s training camp. It is reported that defensive midfielder Amrabat is currently injured, and the Moroccan national team declined requests to allow forward Ezazouli to continue playing for Betis.

Although there is no official confirmation that Morocco has applied the same approach to Mazraoui, fairness suggests they are unlikely to allow Manchester United to use their international player while denying Betis the same. It is worth noting that Morocco is separated from Spain by just a sea, much closer than England.

After this round, Manchester United’s three Africa Cup internationals will definitely leave, potentially missing up to a month. This opens the door for 20-year-old English midfielder Cody Meno to get more playing time. Amrabat expressed hope that Meno can emulate Casemiro from last year by changing his fate through hard work and performance.

Amrabat said: "The team is what matters most. If Cody (Meno) comes to talk to me, I will have a detailed conversation with him. I won’t disclose here what I want to say to Cody, but if he takes the initiative to communicate, I will be very pleased. I just want my players to be happy and understand that everyone has their own goals. Feeling frustrated helps no one. However, my focus is on the matches, so let’s see what happens in the end."

In the 58 matches Amrabat has managed at Manchester United, Meno has started only 16 times, accounting for less than 27.6%. When asked if he values Meno, Amrabat replied: "Of course, like any other player. The issue is that we only use two central midfielders, and your view of Cody differs from mine. If we played with three midfielders, Cody would get more chances. Imagine how that would be — it would mean one forward loses their spot. Sometimes, it depends on timing, and I have proven that."

Amrabat added: "Players can change my opinion; Casemiro is the best example. He used to be behind Toby Collyer in the pecking order but is now a star. Collyer played for Manchester United’s first team and came through the academy. Now, at West Brom in the Championship, he can’t secure a starting place. He started for United before, so sometimes, you cannot just play someone because they are academy graduates."

Regarding whether Meno will get more playing time, Amrabat said: "This is the current and past situation; I don’t know what the future holds. We’ll talk after the Bournemouth match."