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WHO REPLACES BRYAN MBEUMO: CUNHA, MOUNT MUST FILL 6-GOAL VOID AFTER AFCON EXIT
Manchester United faces a lineup headache with Mbeumo, Amad, and Mazraoui leaving for AFCON. Amorim's plan involves Yoro returning and banking on a fit Martinez and Sesko.
Manchester United got back on track Monday night, crushing Wolves 4-1 at Molineux. It was a pretty easy game for United; Bryan Mbeumo, Bruno Fernandes with two goals, and Mason Mount all scored. Amad and Noussair Mazraoui also played, but their upcoming absence could be a problem as the holidays get closer.
Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester United: Ruben Amorim press conference
Mbeumo, Amad, and Mazraoui are all heading to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) this month. When they're leaving, exactly is still up in the air. After the Wolves game, Ruben Amorim sounded hopeful they might be around for next Monday's game against Bournemouth. He mentioned the club is talking to the national teams and expects to know more mid-week, viewing the ongoing communication as a positive sign.
Mazraoui's Morocco starts their tournament on Sunday, December 21, the same day United plays Aston Villa in the Premier League. Mbeumo's Cameroon and Amad's Ivory Coast both start their AFCON run a bit later, on Christmas Eve.
Amorim hinted that we should know when they're leaving this week, but the team needs to plan for how they'll play without them right away. With that in mind, here's a look at how United might set up without their African players in the coming weeks...
First, look at the defence. Mazraoui has been starting over Leny Yoro recently. The Frenchman was the main centre-back pick for a while, but after some tough games against Everton and Crystal Palace, he was dropped.
Yoro has been coming off the bench, so he'll likely be back in the starting lineup with Mazraoui gone. When he's healthy, Matthijs de Ligt would usually be in the mix, but Amorim isn't sure when he'll be back. Ayden Heaven is another option, but Lisandro Martinez—a key player before he got hurt—is getting close to being fully fit and could be back in the side.
Next, there’s the right wing-back spot, which Amad currently has. He's been a standout player there this season, fitting into the role really well.
Diogo Dalot has been improving, so the obvious move would be to put him back on the right, his preferred side, and bring Patrick Dorgu back on the left.
Dalot and Dorgu have been sharing time on the left, but Dalot should look more comfortable on the right without Amad. The biggest absence will probably be Mbeumo.
He scored again on Monday and is United's top scorer with six Premier League goals, putting him amongst the top scorers in the league.
Matheus Cunha is back from injury, which is good news! He can play in the No. 10 role with Mason Mount, who's been playing his best soccer since he moved from Chelsea.
That would leave either Joshua Zirkzee or Benjamin Sesko, the usual No. 9, up front, once he's fit. Amorim said last month that Sesko's return would be around the same time as when players leave for AFCON. His agent says he'll be back very soon, but we don't know if the Slovenian will be ready for the first game without the other three. After that, though, he should be leading the attack.
Here's a possible Man Utd starting lineup without the AFCON trio: Lammens; Yoro, Martinez, Shaw; Dalot, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mount, Cunha; Sesko
EX-CAPTAIN NEVILLE CLAIMS SUBSTITUTIONS MADE MANCHESTER UNITED "WORSE" AGAINST WOLVES
Gary Neville slams Ruben Amorim’s "weird" substitutions and tactical shifts after Manchester United's 1-1 draw with bottom-side Wolves.
Gary Neville said that the performance of Manchester United in their match against winless Wolves was ‘the baddest of the bad.’
United would have moved fourth in the league with a win at Old Trafford last night, although Wolves, who had two points in 18 games before kickoff, ended their record of 11 straight losses with a 1-1 draw.
Amorim’s team had been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by a League Two team, Grimsby, in August, but Neville was convinced that United had hit rock bottom in a game that could have been even more one-sided were it not for two important saves by Senne Lammens.
“That was the baddest of the bad," the former United captain declared on the Gary Neville podcast.
“They weren’t just booed off at the final whistle. The fans waited in the stadium to continue to boo them. They’ve gone backwards.”
United had won at Newcastle 1-0 on Boxing Day, despite being plagued by an injury list that already lacked skipper Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, and Matthijs de Ligt, as well as three players on African Cup of Nations duty.
But they remained flat right from the first whistle, and the header by Ladislav Krejci just before the half bottled Joshua Zirkzee's deflected shot.
Amorim’s formation choice of 3-4-3 was brought into focus once more as the Portuguese opted to go back to his preferred tactic of four at the back against Newcastle.
“This isn’t right. I’ve watched enough of United over the last five or six weeks to know what looks right and what isn’t right,” Neville had declared 20 minutes into his commentary on Sky Sports.
“Because, when I see that we go back (to three at the back) after five minutes tonight, I’m thinking, no, Ruben, why have you done that?
"The manager has to look at that and think, I got that wrong. I complicated it."
However, Amorim decided to substitute Zirkzee at halftime and brought on an 18-year-old Jack Fletcher, who made his third appearance at the senior level.
Regarding substitutions made by Amorim, Neville further added, “They made Manchester United worse. Every single substitution was ridiculous.”
‘If Zirkzee was injured, and it was a tactical substitution, that was a very poor one.’ But Zirkzee isn't Eric Cantona, not by a long shot, and he had to get out there for physicality, for presence, for experience.”
SEE LISANDRO MARTINEZ’S FURIOUS REACTION AFTER MAN UTD’S SHOCK WOLVES DRAW
Lisandro Martinez demands more after Man Utd’s 1-1 draw with bottom-placed Wolves. United ended 2025 sixth in the Premier League.
Stand-in captain Lisandro Martinez was mad that Manchester United dropped points against Wolves, who are at the bottom of the league.
United came into the last game of 2025 after a good win against Newcastle on Boxing Day and were expected to easily beat Wolves.
Joshua Zirkzee scored first for United, but they didn't take their chances. Ladislav Krejci's header tied the game for Wolves, 1-1.
It was only their third point in 19 games, and it stopped their 11-game losing streak. United fans booed at the end of the game.
When Martinez was asked if it felt like a disappointing point, he said, 100 percent.
We are very disappointed. We can't keep drawing or losing points at home. We have to win.
We want to be at the top, competing with the best.
We can't drop points in games like this. We just have to accept it and be hungry for the next game.
Martinez was captain again because Bruno Fernandes is still recovering from an injury.
When United coach Ruben Amorim was asked about injured players for the game against Leeds on Sunday, he didn't give much away. Leeds are really wanting to beat United for the first time since 2010.
Martinez said to MUTV, You can either make excuses, or you can be strong and say, 'We're dropping points, so we need to go for the next one and show what we can do.'
We need to work together and do the easy things to get the three points.
United is in sixth place in the league at the end of 2025, only two points behind Liverpool for the last Champions League spot. Liverpool has a game in hand.
They could be in a better position if they had been better in both boxes. Leeds has been playing well lately, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin doing great up front.
Martinez added, It's about us. I don't like to think about other teams.
I'm thinking about what we can do to get better as a team every day, and we have to learn from this game.
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