Rúben Amorim will be hoping for positive news as Manchester United prepare to face Wolves at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening.
Manchester United will close off 2025 by welcoming Wolverhampton Wanderers to Old Trafford for their final game of the calendar year.
Rúben Amorim’s 2025 has been anything but smooth, but a recent 1-0 Premier League win and a clean sheet against Newcastle have given the Reds optimism that there is progress to build on.
United have already faced Wolves this season, defeating them 4-1 at Molineux earlier this month. However, the home side this time will be without several players due to injury and the Africa Cup of Nations.
With the New Year round the corner, Amorim will be hoping his Reds will still be able to put in a solid performance and secure all three points to help bolster their hopes of finishing in the Champions League spots.
Below is a summary of all United’s unavailable players ahead of the fixture against Wolves, amid two possible returns.
Mason Mount
What happened: Mason Mount was unexpectedly withdrawn at half-time of United’s 1-0 win over Newcastle.
What was said: “He felt something at half-time,” the United boss confirmed after the game. “He wanted to go [for the second half], and that is also a good thing. He wanted to go to the second half, but we cannot lose more players. And if you are not 100%, Jack did a very good job.”
Expected return date: If Mount’s withdrawal was simply a precaution, he could return for 30 December – Wolves.
Casemiro
What happened: Casemiro was substituted at around 60 minutes against Newcastle, much to the surprise of both the player and the Old Trafford crowd.
What was said: “Jack [Fletcher] was fresh to continue, Manu [Ugarte] was fresher than Casemiro, we took a chance because they were making a lot of corner runs and I feel he was going to struggle in that moment,” Amorim said.
Expected return date: If his withdrawal was due to freshness, he will likely return for 30 December – Wolves.
Kobbie Mainoo
What happened: Ahead of the fixture against Aston Villa, Kobbie Mainoo was not included in the squad due to a last-minute calf injury.
What was said: After Aomrim confirmed the injury was not too serious, MailOnline’s Chris Wheeler claimed the midfielder would only be out for around a week.
Possible return date: 30 December – Wolves.
Harry Maguire
What happened: Harry Maguire has not played for United since early November, with the player suffering a hamstring injury against Tottenham.
What was said: “We are still working with them,” Amorim said of both Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt earlier this week. “They are not available for this one, but let’s see for the next one.”
Possible return date: N/A
Matthijs de Ligt
What happened: After starting against Crystal Palace at the end of last month, De Ligt suffered from a back injury with an unknown return date.
What was said: “We are still working with them,” Amorim said earlier this week. “They are not available for this one, but let’s see for the next one.”
Possible return date: N/A
Amad
What happened: After featuring against Bournemouth, Amad flew to Morocco to take part in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast.
What’s been said: “That is the fun part of being a manager, we will try to find solutions with the players that we have,” Amorim said when asked about finding new ways of playing without Amad and Bryan Mbeumo.
Possible return date: If Amad is knocked out of the group stages, he could return for 4 January – Leeds United (A).
Read More: Ruben Amorim went ‘berserk’ at one Manchester United star vs Newcastle after 3/10 display
Bryan Mbeumo
What happened: Just like Amad, Mbeumo has flown to compete at AFCON, but with Cameroon.
What’s been said: “We will try to find a way to score goals in a different way,” Amorim said, amid losing the club’s top goalscorer.
Possible return date: If Mbeumo is knocked out of the group stages, he could return for 4 January – Leeds United (A).
Noussair Mazraoui
What happened: Noussair Mazraoui is also competing at AFCON and has missed United’s last three fixtures.
What’s been said: N/A
Possible return date: If Mazraoui is knocked out of the group stages, he could return for 4 January – Leeds United (A).
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