Manchester United are now reportedly set to be without four stars in January 2024 due to the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, and manager Erik ten Hag is not happy.
The Red Devils have four African players in their first term, with two of them, Andre Onana and Sofyan Amrabat, having joined the side in the most recent transfer window.
Read: Pogba 'makes' major admission amid doping scandal
The continent's top showpiece, the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, gets underway on 13 January 2024 and will run until 11 February.
The two new signings could therefore miss up to nine United games if their national sides make a deep run in the tournament.
Both Onana's Cameroon and Amrabat's Morocco have booked their spots at the competition, while two other Red Devils are also likely to receive call-ups to represent their respective nations in Ivory Coast.
According to Manchester Evening News, youngsters Amad Diallo, 21, and Hannibal Mejbri,20, are also set to be missing for United in January as they have become regular inclusions in the Ivory Coast and Tunisia squads, respectively.
Stand A Chance To Win 1 Of 4 Pairs Of Oakley Sunglasses!
During that period, Erik ten Hag's side have Premier League games against Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Ham United, and Aston Villa lined up.
A worst-case scenario could see at least one of those players miss out on appearances in four competitions, including the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup, and the UEFA Champions League, if they reach the round of 16 at AFCON.
Onana's absence, in particular, is set to be a huge blow as the club signed him during his retirement from the national team, but the goalkeeper has since reversed his decision to quit the Indomitable Lions in order to feature in their latest qualifier, and it is understood that he is in talks for a permanent return to the Cameroon set-up.
In fact, reports suggest that United boss Ten Hag is set to have showdown talks with the goalkeeper in a bid to find out if he intends to play at the tournament next year, with the tactician said to have initially been told by Onana that he had no desire to return to his national team, per the Daily Mirror.
Read: 'They will give Sundowns problems for sure - 'Downs warned about ‘finder-finder’ football
Should he honour an AFCON 2023 call-up, Ten Hag will likely be forced to turn to new second-choice stopper Altay Bayindir, who is yet to represent the English giants after signing from Fenebahce on 1 September.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH:
