Brian Mbeumo will be a crucial absentee when Cameroon takes part in the Africa Cup of Nations, but manager Owen Hargreaves believes Manchester United are “well equipped” to cope.
The United winger scored his fifth Premier League goal of the season against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, making him one of Ruben Amorim’s best players for the 2025/26 season.
2025/26 Premier League Manchester United
Mbeumo completed a £65m move from Brentford in the summer transfer window and has scored six goals in 12 games for Man United.
After scoring just one goal in his first seven Premier League games, doubts were starting to appear over Mbemo’s ability to perform for the big club.
However, he is now scoring four goals in as many games and has become increasingly influential under Amorim.
There’s one little problem. Mbeumo is scheduled to participate in AFCON in mid-December and may not return until late January.
Which Manchester United games will Mbeumo miss due to AFCON?
The tournament begins on December 21st, with Cameroon’s first match against Gabon two days later.
If Mbeumo takes part in AFCON, he is likely to miss Manchester United’s Premier League game against Aston Villa, and is also certain to miss games against Newcastle United (at home) and Wolves (at home).
Mbeumo will also miss the trip to Leeds United if Cameroon advance from the group consisting of Gabon, Ivory Coast and Mozambique.
If Cameroon make it to the final, they will miss the away game against Burnley (January 7), the home game against Manchester City (January 17) and the FA Cup third round (weekend starting January 10).
The minimum number of matches that Mbeumo will miss is therefore two, but that depends on whether he joins up with the Cameroon national team within 48 hours of the first match.
The maximum number of games he can miss is six Premier League games, seven in total. That’s quite an attack.
Number of non-penalty league goals since the start of last season:
– Brian Mbeumo (20)
– Ousmane Dembele (20)
– Rafinha (19)Not bad company for Brian Mbeumo to be with 🤷 pic.twitter.com/Ond7PWRQsu
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 8, 2025
AFCON schedule
Group Stage: December 21-31 Round of 16: January 3-January 6 Quarter-finals: January 9-10 Semi-finals: January 14 Third-place match: January 17 Final: January 18
Manchester United ‘fully capable’ of missing AFCON
Mbeumo will be a big miss for Manchester United, but he is not the only player expected to be absent.
Amad Diallo and Nosair Mazraoui could also represent their country at AFCON, with the former likely to be a similar loss to Mbeumo.
Former Man United midfielder Owen Hargreaves spoke about these absences and admitted it would be “difficult” for Amorim, but believes the team is “good enough” to cope.
“I mean, it’s going to be difficult, but again, we’re hoping we can keep the team healthy and rotate the players without playing too many games. (Benjamin) Sesco is an interesting player. They’re going to need him, but we’ll have to see what happens with that injury.”
“I think the team is good enough and without European football – I know it’s disappointing for the club – but it could actually help them get back into the top four. Remember, this season they’ll probably be in the top five and if they can get back into the Champions League, it’s been a good season.”
Can Manchester United cope without Mbemo and Amad?
Mbeumo has appeared in every game and is becoming more and more influential. Meanwhile, Amad started in an attacking role against Spurs on Saturday, but has consistently shown his importance as a right wing-back, Amorim’s first choice.
Their absence will be felt as both players are important players and Mazraoui is a solid depth option. But if the entire project were to fail without them, Amorim and his forces would be called into serious doubt. Realistically, a club that has spent so much money on transfers over the past three years has no excuse not to respond.
As for substitutes, Mason Mount is expected to start regularly if he is fit. It’s not a huge downgrade, but he’s a very different player and not a goal threat. Joshua Zirkzee is another option, but he has barely played this season and will be expected to see more playing time during AFCON.
As for Amad, Diogo Dalot is likely to play right wing-back, especially if Mazraoui is away.
TL;DR: Yes, it would be very embarrassing if they didn’t respond.
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