United boss Brian McDermott says El-Hadji Diouf has not given him the opportunity to put him in the matchday squad.

El-Hadji has been absent from the training ground in recent times and the manager admits that the former African Player of the Year has not been available for selection as much as he would have liked.

The manager said that the United man is going through a difficult time in his personal life and that Diouf is away from the training ground with his blessing.

“It’s been a tough time for Dioufy,” said the boss. “He has been away a lot and has maybe not trained with us as many times as we would have liked.

“From a professional point of view it has been difficult to give him an opportunity because he hasn’t been at the training ground a lot of the time.

“He has got some personal stuff going on as well, which I have given my blessing on.

“He was at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service this week. Nelson Mandela gave him the African Player of the Year award so it is really important to him that he was there. Who am I to refuse him something like that?”