Man Utd are set to lose Bryan Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui to the Africa Cup of Nations next month.
United are braced to lose key players.(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)
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"I feel afraid of returning the feeling of last season," said Ruben Amorim during his press conference after Manchester United's shocking defeat to Everton on Monday night. It was a warning from Amorim that no supporter wanted to hear, but the performance was reminiscent of last season, raising a few worrying questions ahead of the winter schedule.
Although United won 2-1 against Manchester City last December, the month was otherwise bleak for Amorim. United crashed out of the Carabao Cup against Tottenham, were hammered 3-0 by Bournemouth at Old Trafford, lost against Wolves on Boxing Day and were beaten by Newcastle before New Year's Eve.
Next month must be different. United cannot return to the "feeling" of last season, but Amorim could seriously do without losing two of his best players to the Africa Cup of Nations. AFCON will take place between December 21 and January 18. Bryan Mbeumo will represent Cameroon at the tournament, while Amad will feature for the Ivory Coast. Noussair Mazraoui will also be there representing hosts Morocco.
Amorim has admitted United will "struggle a little bit" when they lose the trio, but explained during his press conference on Friday that talks will take place with the players' federations to keep them for as long as possible. "I think it’s going to be more or less at the same time," said Amorim when asked whether Benjamin Sesko would return from his injury before United lose players to the AFCON.
"I don’t want to say for sure, but when they are going to camp [to prepare for the tournament], I expect to have Ben back. We have the rules about when to release the players. We’ll see, we’re doing our job to keep the players a little longer. But it's not just in our hands, and we have to respect that, but we will try to do everything to protect the club, protect the players and the national team."
Amorim was asked to clarify when the rules stated United would have to release the players, and said: "I think it's two weeks before the start, so we'll try to arrange something with the federations, but we need to respect their rules in this case."
The United boss was also asked whether the Wolves fixture on December 8 was an opportunity for other players to impress. "Yeah, but we already knew [about players leaving], so it is a chance for other players. We need to also send a message. It is not ideal, they are so important in our squad," he said.
Losing Mbeumo will be a huge blow.(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
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United have been in this situation previously, with AFCON looming during the campaign, but losing three players at once to the tournament is a new challenge for the club to manoeuvre. Amorim will be desperate to keep Mbeumo and Amad for as long as possible. Mbeumo has contributed six goals and an assist in 13 appearances this season, while Amad has also been important.
Mbeumo, Amad and Mazraoui will be unavailable from the Wolves games on December 8 if they join up with their respective nations at the standard time, but the precedent set with Andre Onana in 2024 suggests an agreement could be reached to defer their flights to the tournament.
Onana joined up late with Cameroon at the last AFCON. He played against Wigan Athletic and Tottenham in January 2024 (the tournament starts earlier this year) and travelled to the tournament using a private jet, but he was named on the bench for the opening game.
That is something that United's players will consider - they may be willing to join up with their nations late for AFCON, but that could potentially affect their squad roles at the tournament. Mbeumo should be fine because he is a star for Cameroon and would start the first game even if he reports late. However, Amad and Mazraoui compete to start for their respective nations.
United play Bournemouth on December 15 and take on Aston Villa on December 21. Those matches will be tricky and Mbeumo, Amad and Mazraoui could be kept back if an agreement is reached. December will be difficult again, so United will do everything they can to defer AFCON call-ups.