Vary of AFCON, Amorim blocks two January departures

Finally Manchester United are on the right track. After a terrible start of the season, which saw Red Devils losing to Grimzby in the Cup, Arsenal, Brentford and Manchester City, Ruben Amorim‘s men have put together a little consecutive winning streak after Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton wins. The Portuguese manager proved to everybody that his tactical setup was not the problem, but now, after his starting 11 is all but set, there are players who are not happy with sitting on the bench, especially close to the World Cup, which is next year. Manchester‘s problem is also shortage of football matches as the Red Devils are out of Carabao Cup already and are not playing in Europe either, so the reserve players cannot even play in ‘less important‘ games. Still, Ruben Amorim is aware of the biggest African event and is not allowing any January departures (at least for now).

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So far, United‘s best players have been Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, but both Africans will be going to AFCON and play for Cameroon and Ivory Coast while Noussair Mazraoui will certainly represent Morocco. With such departures affecting both attacking and defensive depth, Amorim is wary of leaving his side short of options during a congested fixture schedule that includes the Premier League and the FA Cup. And the losers due to the upcoming African competition are Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee.

Both players are out of Amorim‘s first team plans and do have suitors. Unlike Zirkzee, who is among Netherlands‘ internationals, Mainoo is not among England‘s first team players but still needs to develop further and he cannot due it from the bench. Although competition in midfield remains fierce, with Casemiro, Mason Mount, and Bruno Fernandes occupying key roles, Mainoo is seen as an essential part of United’s long-term project. And in the meantime, United decided to further strengten their Academy department with a promising striker from Sweden. As reported by Sky Sport Germany‘s Florian Plettenberg, the Red Devils are in pole position to sign Kevin Filling, a highly-rated young striker from Swedish side AIK Fotboll. Filling’s name has rapidly risen through European scouting circles. He has already scored two goals in seven appearances, an impressive return for a player still in his mid-teens. His price is around three million euros, which could prove to be a bargain in case he shows his potential at Old Trafford.

England League Cup Round 4

Tuesday

22.45: (7.00) Grimsby (4.50) Brentford (1.45)

22.45: (5.60) Wycombe (3.70) Fulham (1.65)

23.00: (2.25) Wrexham (3.40) Cardiff (3.20)

Wednesday

22.45: (1.42) Arsenal (5.00) Brighton (7.00)

22.45: (1.62) Liverpool (4.35) Crystal Palace (4.90)

22.45: (13.0) Swansea (7.00) Man.City (1.20)

22.45: (4.60) Wolverhampton (4.05) Chelsea (1.70)

23.00: (1.70) Newcastle (3.60) Tottenham (5.30)

*** odds are subject to change