Man United to delay departures of three players for AFCON

Manchester United are set to open talks with the football federations of Cameroon, Morocco and Ivory Coast in an effort to delay the departures of three key players ahead of this year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The affected players are Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui and Amad Diallo, all of whom are expected to feature for their national teams in the tournament.

This year’s AFCON is scheduled to begin on December 21 and end on January 18, a period that would see United miss the trio during an important stretch of fixtures.

Despite the challenge, manager Ruben Amorim remains hopeful that agreements can be reached with the respective associations.

United are particularly keen to have the players available for their Premier League trip to Wolves on December 8 and the home clash against Bournemouth on December 15.

“We are trying to have the players a bit longer but we will see. I think it is two weeks before the start. We will try to arrange something with the federations.

“We already knew [about AFCON] so it is a chance for other players. It is not ideal, they are so important in our squad,” Amorim said.