MANCHESTER UNITED have been handed a major double boost ahead of next weekend’s Manchester derby.
Key wingers Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo will likely be available for selection after Ivory Coast’s and Cameroon‘s respective eliminations from Afcon.
The duo have been absent since joining up with their national teams in mid-December.
United host Brighton in an FA Cup third-round tie this afternoon, where caretaker manager Darren Fletcher will likely continue with his 4-2-3-1 set-up in his second match in charge.
But a new interim manager could be in the dugout for the crunch clash with Manchester City on January 17.
If not Fletcher, British billionaire owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is likely to appoint either Michael Carrick or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as interim boss until the end of the season.
Ruben Amorim, heavily criticised for his insistence on a back-three formation, was sacked after a 1-1 draw with Leeds.
The Portuguese manager was navigating a razor-thin squad in December, barely having enough senior players to fill his starting line-up.
But with Diallo and Mbeumo’s return, coupled with Bruno Fernandes recovering from his hamstring injury, the new United boss is expected to have a fully fit squad.
Only defender Matthijs de Ligt is still ruled out with a back problem.
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However, Pep Guardiola‘s men too will be boosted by the return of Algerian left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, although Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush remains in Morocco.
United are currently seventh in the Premier League and just three points behind fourth-placed Liverpool, with a push for the European qualification spots still very much on the cards.
