"We'll be ready" - Ruben Amorim explains how he plans to address Manchester United squad disruption due to AFCON

Ruben Amorim has claimed that Manchester United's academy players are ready to fill the gaps created by the potential departures of Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui, and Amad Diallo for the African Cup of Nations.

The Red Devils will possibly be without the three players for the AFCON, scheduled to take place between December 21 and January 18, in Morocco. While Ruben Amorim hopes to keep Mbeumo, Mazraoui and Diallo at least until their Premier League clash against Bournemouth on December 15, he's also confident about the skills of his academy players.

During a recent press conference, Amorin claimed that Manchester United were attempting to engage in dialogue with the federations of Cameroon, Morocco, and the Ivory Coast to delay the players' departure as much as possible. He said (via ESPN):

"We have the rules when we will have to release the players. We are trying to have the players a bit longer but we will see. I think it is two weeks before the start. We will try to arrange something with the federations. We already knew (about AFCON), so it is a chance for other players. It is not ideal, they are so important in our squad."

Discussing the loss of three key players ahead of the AFCON, the United head coach stated that the academy will be ready. He said (via AmorinEra on X):

"Our academy is for this moment... we'll be ready."

Currently seventh in the Premier League with 18 points after 11 games, the Red Devils will next face Everton on Monday, November 24.

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Joe Cole urges Chelsea to sign Manchester United target

Joe Cole has urged Chelsea to sign Manchester United target Antoine Semenyo from AFC Bournemouth. The former Chelsea midfielder believes that the 25-year-old would become an instant starter at Stamford Bridge under Enzo Maresca.

While speaking to Paddy Power, Cole stated that Semenyo might not be on the Blues' transfer radar because they were focussed on signing younger players. However, he affirmed that the Blues should sign the Ghanaian attacker if he was open to a move to the west London club. He said (via Metro):

"Knowing Chelsea, he might be too old! I'd have to check his age, but from a football perspective, if he's available and he wants to come, it's a no-brainer in terms of bringing him into the football club." "With Chelsea's model, there'll be a financial element and evaluation element to it, so it'll come down to that. He'd be a welcome addition to the Chelsea squad, and he probably starts, because he's been superb for Bournemouth," he added.

The 25-year-old reportedly has a £65 million release clause for the January transfer window, and several Premier League sides, including Liverpool and Manchester United, are interested in signing him

Edited by Sankalp Srivastava