Manchester United forward Amad Diallo has been given time off by his club following a family bereavement.
The Ivory Coast international will miss Saturday’s trip to Brentford, with United head coach Ruben Amorim saying football was “not important” at this time.
Amad has been involved in all six United games so far this season, either in one of the number 10 roles or at right wing-back, starting five.
“We are giving all the support to Amad,” said Amorim. “The next game is not important.”
The news comes after Amad was criticised on social media by some United fans after his interaction with friend and former team-mate Alejandro Garnacho, who left Old Trafford amid huge acrimony, after the win over the Argentina winger’s new club Chelsea last weekend.
Amad subsequently deleted all the posts from his Instagram and X accounts.
“I say the same thing to my players – shut down social media,” said Amorim.
“It’s like that nowadays. It’s a price you have to pay.
“The important thing is the club and his friends are real life for Amad. We are here for him.
“We can win without Amad and we also want to win for him.”
Amorim still not sure about his team
Utility defender Noussair Mazraoui has also been ruled out of the trip to Brentford, with Amorim saying he doesn’t expect the Morocco international to return until mid-October after suffering a minor problem during the Chelsea win.
Striker Bryan Mbeumo returns to his old club after leaving west London following protracted negotiations in the summer.
Victory would represent the first time Amorim has presided over successive Premier League games in a reign that is just six games short of an entire season.
Little wonder many United fans do not trust their side to deliver the kind of consistency required to make them serious contenders for Champions League qualification.
“It’s normal the fans don’t know what is going to happen (in) the next game,” he said.
“To be honest, I have an idea but I don’t know how it’s going to be and I’m the manager of the team.
“The best way of dealing with that is to approach every game like it’s the last one.
“I understand the feeling of the fans, so let’s start changing that feeling.”