Man Utd facing Bryan Mbeumo blow as forward set to miss multiple games | Football | Sport

The Africa Cup of Nations gets underway in Morocco on December 21, with Cameroon’s opening match coming against Gabon on Christmas Eve.

Cameroon have been drawn in Group F, where they will also face Amad Diallo’s Ivory Coast side, as well as Mozambique. The knockout rounds then begin in the New Year, with the final due to be held in Rabat on January 18.

Mbeumo will definitely miss United’s Premier League clashes with Newcastle and Wolves between Christmas and the New Year.

He is also very likely to be absent for their encounter with Aston Villa as the match will be played on the day the Africa Cup of Nations begins.

And the talented attacker could even miss Bournemouth’s visit to Old Trafford on December 15, depending on how much preparation time Cameroon want ahead of the tournament.

In the New Year, United face Premier League showdowns with Leeds (Jan 3), Burnley (Jan 7) and Manchester City (Jan 17). They will also play an FA Cup third round clash over the weekend of January 10.

All four of those matches will be played before the Africa Cup of Nations final. So if Cameroon go all the way, Mbeumo could miss up to eight matches for the Red Devils.

And his absence will come as a huge blow as he has been one of his side’s best attacking players throughout the early stages of the campaign.

Mbeumo bagged two goals during United’s 4-2 victory over Brighton on Saturday. And he was then lauded by his manager.

“He’s a working machine. He’s so good in transitions. He’s improving when we are organising the final third,” Amorim explained.

“We can struggle a lot but it’s Manchester United. When Manchester United is there and when we feel that this player wants to come here, no matter what, no matter what the position, no matter if it’s Champions League or not, we also give everything to bring these kind of guys [to the club]. And that was the case.”