Jose Mourinho has already told Manchester United and Ruben Amorim why one disadvantage about Bryan Mbeumo won’t necessarily be a problem for the Red Devils.
News emerged on Monday evening that Bryan Mbeumo wants a Manchester United move, which is music to Red Devils fans’ ears.
Mbeumo was one of the Premier League’s best last season, hitting 20 goals in England’s top-flight for Brentford. His goal-scoring prowess is one of the many advantages the Cameroonian could bring to Old Trafford.
Bryan Mbeumo sofascore
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But as with most players, there will always be issues. One of which, former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has already told the Red Devils not to worry about.
Jose Mourinho implies Manchester United wouldn’t be affected by AFCON
Should United sign him, Mbeumo will miss part of the 25/26 campaign due to African Cup of Nations commitments. The 25-year-old represents Cameroon, and would surely be part of their squad.
Mourinho previously told United legend Rio Ferdinand that if you’re a ‘top team’, this is no issue, as you’ll have squad depth.
Mourinho told Rio Ferdinand Presents in 2024: “That is a problem [AFCON] that we know. I always felt that, if you were in a top team and you have African players, it’s not a problem.
“Because you miss the guys in two years, for six weeks, it’s not a problem. The problem is like, it happens with me in Roma where a squad is a very limited squad and then you go through these periods and you lose three players from the African Cup and one player from the Asian Cup, you have a short squad.
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“When you are in one of these top clubs, if you want to go for an African player, don’t think twice.”
Mourinho went on to explain the fond relationship he always had with players of African descent.
“I always loved and I always had a great response from African players,” Mourinho continued.
“To be honest I love the guys, and I feel that the African player is very loyal and very pure.”
United will surely have the depth to deal with Mbeumo’s omission for the month, and we agree with Jose, it would not be a deciding factor on whether to bring him to Old Trafford.
How long would Bryan Mbeumo miss at AFCON?
Mbeumo would miss a chunk of United’s 2025/26 season due to his near-certain participation in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), for which Cameroon have once again qualified.
The tournament remains scheduled within the broader European club calendar. However, while the last two editions were held at the beginning of the calendar year, the next finals in Morocco will take place later in the year.
Edition Dates
Previous editions Early January (calendar year)
2025 edition (Morocco) 21 December – 18 January
This may mean Mbeumo could miss up to around eight to ten fixtures, depending on how Cameroon got on.
That being said – Mbeumo’s United deal is still nowhere near. Plus, as Mourinho stated, United would surely have the squad depth to deal with a month without the right-sided forward.