Bryan Mbeumo leaves his fate in the hands of Manchester United

Bryan Mbeumo is said to be letting Manchester United and the Cameroon Football Federation handle the decision regarding his AFCON selection independently.

According to The Sun, Bryan Mbeumo is letting Manchester United and the Cameroon Football Federation negotiate whether he will be called up for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), aiming to avoid conflicts around the timing of his departure from the club.

Mbeumo, who joined Manchester United from Brentford this summer for £65 million, has quickly adapted at Old Trafford and demonstrated the value of the club’s significant investment. He has scored 4 goals in his first 10 appearances, contributing to the team’s best run under manager Ruben Amorim since he took charge over a year ago, and was voted Premier League Player of the Month for October.

Meanwhile, the Cameroon national team will enter crucial 2026 World Cup qualifying playoffs, where Mbeumo is expected to play, before participating in AFCON. The Cameroonian striker is eager to represent his country but also hopes for a clear agreement between the club and national team on his call-up date.

FIFA rules require clubs to release players at least two weeks before a major tournament starts. If Manchester United strictly follow this, they could lose Mbeumo, along with Noussair Mazraoui and Amad Diallo, for nearly six weeks. The "Red Devils" face Wolves on December 9 (Vietnam time), coinciding with Cameroon’s AFCON preparations. Therefore, the club is expected to ask the Cameroon Federation, led by Samuel Eto’o, to allow Mbeumo to stay in England for matches against Bournemouth (December 13) and Aston Villa (December 21), before the tournament officially begins.

Sources in Cameroon revealed that officials are willing to discuss the timing of player call-ups when they meet next week in Morocco for the World Cup qualifying playoffs.

Previously, at the last AFCON, goalkeeper Andre Onana, currently on loan from Manchester United, was benched in Cameroon’s opening match, despite the club and federation agreeing on his early call-up. Then-coach Rigobert Song was very upset that Onana was allowed to play a Premier League game less than 24 hours before the opener against Guinea, resulting in a disappointing tournament for both Onana and Cameroon.

Mbeumo is determined not to inconvenience either his club or national team and wants a clear agreement on his call-up date. Old Trafford will apply a similar arrangement for Amad and Mazraoui, expected to represent Ivory Coast and Morocco respectively, to minimize the impact of losing key players.

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