Unpredictable twists, Manchester United fears missing out on the Champions League again next season! Uncertainty remains over when African Cup internationals will leave the squad.

Having missed multiple chances to enter the Premier League’s top four, English media report that Manchester United is seriously concerned about failing to qualify for the Champions League this season. From last month until now, the Red Devils had four occasions where victory would have secured a spot in the Champions League places, but they did not win any, including draws against relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest and West Ham, and a defeat to a 10-man Everton.

Manchester United desperately needs to get back into the Champions League to finance their rebuilding efforts with summer signings. However, with only one win in their last five Premier League matches, doubts have arisen about Ruben Amorim’s team’s prospects. This has occurred despite them usually playing just one game per week.

The Red Devils appear to have made some progress but still seem stuck in old patterns. They are now level with Arsenal in scoring from set-pieces, both with 10 goals, ranking first in that category. Yet, their scoring from open play remains limited. Additionally, they concede the second most goals from corners in the Premier League, only better than West Ham.

For Amorim, the only consolation is that other Premier League teams competing for the top four, aside from Arsenal, are also inconsistent. Otherwise, Manchester United would likely have been left far behind by now. Currently, they are still just two points shy of the top four. Of course, if United continues to be so unpredictable, the gap may persist.

Especially after next week, three Manchester United players will leave to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations: Mazraoui of host nation Morocco, Mbemou from Cameroon, and Amad Diallo of Ivory Coast will miss several matches. The club is still unsure whether they will be available for the December 15 home game against Bournemouth.

FIFA has confirmed that all Africa Cup participants must be released on that day to join their national teams for tournament preparations. The Africa Cup begins on December 21, but it remains unclear whether players can represent their clubs on that date. On December 15, the only Premier League match scheduled is Manchester United versus Bournemouth.

Moreover, different national teams have varying tournament start dates, and FIFA has not clarified whether December 15 applies to all players or if adjustments will be made based on each country’s first match. Among United’s three Africa Cup internationals, Mazraoui’s Morocco will play on day one, while Mbemou’s Cameroon and Amad’s Ivory Coast, in the same group, will not play their first match until Christmas Eve.

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim stated: "We still don’t know when the players will leave; the club is handling the arrangements. What I do know for sure is that they can participate in the next match (away at Wolves), and that is my only concern right now."

Manchester United is negotiating with the football associations of the three countries to clarify whether the players can continue playing in the match against Bournemouth. Amorim also revealed that De Ligt and Diogo Dalot are expected to recover and play in Monday night’s game against Wolves.

De Ligt missed Thursday’s match against West Ham due to a training injury, and Dalot was substituted shortly after scoring because of an injury. However, both are highly likely to feature against Wolves, who remain winless after 14 games this season, with only 2 points, sitting at the bottom of the table.

But Amorim warned his players not to be complacent: "Anything can happen and situations can change. In Premier League history, no team has gone a whole season without winning a single match. Regardless of the opponent, we must strive to improve our performance. Ensuring players get adequate rest and preparing thoroughly is crucial—every match is a tough battle for us."

Midweek, Manchester United celebrated Luke Shaw’s milestone of 300 appearances for the club. However, the 30-year-old, nicknamed “England’s Carlos,” faces a bit of awkwardness since he has missed more games than he has played since 2014! For comparison, the last player to spend 12 years at United was De Gea, who made 545 appearances.

It is reported that Luke Shaw himself prefers not to draw too much attention to this milestone, but the club went ahead with the publicity. The Red Devils even highlighted Shaw’s 2024 FA Cup win as part of the promotion, ironically noting he only played in one match during that campaign.

Insiders reveal that Manchester United legend Gary Neville personally holds Luke Shaw in high regard but is quite surprised that the left-back remains at the club. Last week, Neville criticized Shaw’s performance against Everton.