Players Manchester United could be without during the AFCON and who could replace them

Manchester United could lose Andre Onana, Sofyan Amrabat, Hannibal Mejbri and Amad as the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicks off in Abidjan, Ivory Coast on January 13.

The opening fixture sees host nation Ivory Coast facing Guinea-Bissau on that same date at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in a game that could feature United winger Amad, as well as ex-players Wilfried Zaha and Eric Bailly.

The competition is taking place between January 13 and February 11, despite being referred to as AFCON 2023. The tournament was originally scheduled for June-July 2023, meaning African players would miss no Premier League action. However, it was moved to avoid a potentially disruptive rainy season in Ivory Coast.

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The United quartet would miss Premier League fixtures with Tottenham Hotspur (January 14) and West Ham United (February 3) at Old Trafford and matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers (January 30) at Molineux Stadium and against high-flying Aston Villa (February 10) at Villa Park.

It is highly likely that they will not feature in the third round FA Cup fixture against Wigan, where the Reds have been given an away allocation of 8,000 at the 25,000-capacity DW Stadium. But a date has not yet been set for when clubs must release their players for the tournament.

It is dependent on how far their nations progress, but the four players will most likely return for United's first-ever Premier League trip to Kenilworth Road to play Luton on February 17.

Erik ten Hag's side could be the joint-second most impacted Premier League club alongside Brighton. Nottingham Forest are the most impacted, potentially