Manchester United Seeks to Delay Player Departures for Africa Cup of Nations

Bryan Mbeumo has signed with Manchester United from Brentford for £65 million.

Manchester United is actively working to delay the departures of Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo, and Noussair Mazraoui for the Africa Cup of Nations. According to tournament regulations, the club is required to release these players two weeks prior to their respective national teams’ first matches.

This timeline suggests that the players would need to depart around the time of United’s Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on December 8.

Full-back Noussair Mazraoui’s Moroccan national team will host the tournament and is scheduled to play the opening match against Comoros on December 21. Meanwhile, Amad Diallo from Ivory Coast and Mbeumo from Cameroon are set to play their first matches on December 24. The tournament concludes with the final on January 18, which raises concerns about their absence for up to eight Premier League games and an FA Cup third-round match.

Given that both Mbeumo and Amad have been key starters, and with Mazraoui back to full fitness and providing defensive depth, United is seeking to negotiate a delay until at least after their next game against Bournemouth on December 15. The team will also face Aston Villa on December 21.

In a previous instance, United managed to retain goalkeeper Andre Onana until the day before Cameroon’s opening match in the last tournament, resulting in him missing only one game—the FA Cup fixture against Newport.

Manager Ruben Amorim stated, “We have the rules for when we have to release the players, but we are trying to retain them a bit longer. It is not entirely within our control. We will see and attempt to negotiate with the federations.”

An additional game could be crucial, especially as Amorim anticipates that Benjamin Sesko will recover from a knee injury sustained during the match against Tottenham on November 8 around the same time.

If United were to be without Sesko, Mbeumo, and Amad, it would necessitate a significant reshuffle in the attacking lineup, potentially calling on Joshua Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo, both of whom have had limited playing time this season.

“He’s going to be out for a few weeks,” Amorim remarked regarding Sesko’s injury. “It’s not too serious, but we must exercise caution. I cannot confirm anything, but I expect to have Ben back before they leave.”