Manchester United are trying to hold onto Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui for a little longer before releasing them for the Africa Cup of Nations, with the club hoping to keep all three past the Premier League clash against Bournemouth on 15 December.
Under tournament rules, United should release the trio two weeks before their nations’ first fixtures. That would see them depart around the time of the trip to Wolves on 8 December, as Cameroon, Ivory Coast and hosts Morocco all kick off their campaigns between 21 and 24 December.
Mazraoui’s Morocco open the tournament on 21 December against Comoros, while Amad and Mbeumo play their first games on 24 December. The final is locked for 18 January, meaning any finalist could miss as many as eight Premier League matches plus the FA Cup third round.
With Mbeumo and Amad regular starters this term and Mazraoui now back fit and offering cover across the backline, United are pushing to delay their departures until after Bournemouth, and potentially even through the Villa match on 21 December.
United have pulled off a similar trick before, holding André Onana back until the day before Cameroon’s opener two years ago, the keeper ended up missing just one game, an FA Cup tie at Newport.
Boss Ruben Amorim says discussions with the national federations are already in motion.
“We have the rules for when we have to release the players, but we are trying to have the players a bit longer,” he said. “It’s not just in our hands. We will try to arrange something with the federations.”
The timing is key, with Amorim expecting Benjamin Sesko to return from a knee injury around the same period. If United lose Sesko alongside Amad and Mbeumo, it leaves the attack short, potentially forcing Joshua Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo into more regular minutes.
“He’s going to be out for a few weeks,” Amorim said of Sesko. “It’s not that serious but we have to be careful with him. I don’t want to say for sure, but when they go, I expect to have Ben back.”
United now face a tight negotiation window, hoping club needs and international duty can find a compromise, even one extra league match could matter.