Good coach! Amorim has made arrangements in advance. Manchester United’s three core players will miss 6 Premier League games and 1 cup game.

Since Ratcliffe publicly expressed his support for Amorim in the interview, Manchester United has won three consecutive Premier League wins. This is the first time since Amorim took charge and the first time in the past two seasons. However, a huge challenge is waiting for Manchester United soon.

The 2025 African Cup has been full of twists and turns. After Algeria announced that it had withdrawn its bid, Morocco became the new host country and it was originally scheduled to be held this summer. Later, due to a schedule conflict with the first Club World Cup, it was postponed until the end of the year. According to the arrangement, the African Cup of Nations will open on December 21 and end on January 18 next year, which is about less than a month.

Therefore, clubs with African players will have a considerable impact, and Manchester United is one of them. Mazraoui represents the host country Morocco, Diallo represents Côte d'Ivoire, and Mbemo represents Cameroon, all of whom will attend the African Cup of Nations. Interestingly, the national teams of Diallo and Mbemo are in the same group, and there will be a different "Manchester United Derby" in the African Cup. Since the four best third-placed teams in the group can also qualify, although the two meet, the chance of being eliminated in the group stage is not very great.

According to the schedule, from December 20 to January 17, a total of 6 Premier League games and 1 FA Cup top-64 game are scheduled. In chronological order, the opponents are Aston Villa, Newcastle, Wolves, Leeds United, Burnley, FA Cup (opponent to be determined) and Manchester City.

If you count from the opening ceremony of the African Cup of Nations to the final, after playing the Bournemouth game, the three players will return to their respective national teams and will not be able to come back until they face Arsenal. Of course, if they are eliminated early, these players can return to the team earlier, maybe participate in the Manchester City game, and earlier, they can also participate in the FA Cup. If all three of them successfully qualify from the group and advance to the knockout rounds of the African Cup of Nations, it is inevitable that they will miss at least 5 Premier League games.

More importantly, the three of them happen to be important players on the right side of Manchester United. In other words, Manchester United will lose the core of the entire right corridor during the African Cup. Now, with only one and a half months until the African Cup of Nations kicks off, I believe Manchester United has begun preparing various plans to deal with the impact of the African Cup of Nations.

Recently, according to tracking reports from the British media, Amorim has allowed more and more young people to join the first team training in recent weeks, with the purpose of strengthening communication and complementation between the youth training and the adult team. In particular, Amorim did not train the first team and youth training players separately in order to "make up the numbers", but integrated them together and encouraged competition between them.

During the Ferguson era, youth training was a precious treasure of Manchester United, especially the rise of the 1992 generation, which laid the cornerstone of the Manchester United dynasty. In the post-Ferguson era, youth training seems to have lost its former influence. Pogba has destroyed the Great Wall, and the native Rashford is too lazy. Even McTominay, who has stayed at Manchester United since he was 6 years old, can only leave the Apennines. Today, only Menu is left in the first team, hovering between being a substitute and leaving the team.

Therefore, Amorim attaches great importance to youth training. Through integrated training, young people can adapt to the rhythm and intensity of confrontation of adults, and can also bring more vitality and impact to the players of the first team. The main position is not static, and someone can add it at any time. From this aspect, Amorim is a good coach and continues the fine tradition of the past.

This summer, Manchester United has streamlined its lineup. Since there is no European competition task, and the League Cup was eliminated early, Manchester United actually did not have many games, and the number of first-team players was actually relatively small. Losing three players at once during the African Cup was a big blow.

Promoting youth training is a way to solve the problem. Let the youth training players practice together early and be ready to play at any time. Obviously, it is also planned in advance for the absence of three people. From this aspect, Amorim is a good coach.

It is reported that 18-year-old winger Lacey is an outstanding performer in the youth training and has left a deep impression on his teammates. He is expected to join the first team during the African Cup, fulfilling his 14-year wish. If all goes well, during the African Cup of Nations, many youth training players can be included in the match roster and even get a chance to play. Furthermore, if they can perform well, they can also gain a foothold in the first team.

Being prepared for a rainy day and preparing early are qualities that every outstanding head coach must possess. The African Cup of Nations is a test, but also a rare opportunity. Who among the young players can emerge? Will Menu and Zirkzee seize this short window?