How many Man United matches will Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui miss during the Africa Cup of Nations?

Manchester United are set to be without three important players in the shape of Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The tournament will begin on December 21 and run until January 18, with the last-16 stage of the competition starting on January 3.

Mbeumo is set to represent Cameroon, while it is almost certain that Amad will be involved for Ivory Coast and Mazraoui for Morocco, with all three important players for their respective countries.

The trio could miss six Premier League matches - Aston Villa (A), Newcastle United (H), Wolverhampton Wanderers (H), Leeds United (A), Burnley (A) and Manchester City (H) - in addition to the third round of the FA Cup, which will take place on the weekend of January 10.

Man United's final game ahead of the tournament will be against Bournemouth on December 15, and the 20-time English champions will then tackle Villa on December 21 - the date that AFCON begins.

Mbeumo, Amad, Mazraoui are set to be absent for Man United during a busy period of the season

Morocco will play in Group A with Mali, Zambia and Comoros, while Ivory Coast and Cameroon are both in Group F with Gabon and Mozambique.

Amad and Mbeumo could therefore go head-to-head at the tournament on December 28, and it would be a surprise if either Ivory Coast or Cameroon failed to qualify for the next round.

“We have time to suffer with that,” Man United head coach Ruben Amorim told reporters during his press conference on Thursday when asked about the tournament. “We are going to struggle a little bit.

“But we already knew [that]. It is going to be an opportunity because when I watch the training, there are players that should be playing, but it is hard with one game to take some players from the team because they are going well also, during training and the games.

“Other players are going to have the opportunity to help us, they are understanding the way we want to play. The change of characteristics are not going to change the idea or the momentum of the team, but let's use Amad and Bryan in these games and then we will see in January.”

How have Mbeumo, Amad, Mazraoui performed for Man United this term?

Mbeumo has been one of Man United's standout players this season following his arrival from Brentford over the summer, scoring five goals and registering one assist in 10 appearances.

Amad, meanwhile, has two assists in nine appearances this term, with the 23-year-old building a strong relationship with Mbeumo down the right.

Mazraoui had had his injury problems this season, being restricted to just three appearances, but the 27-year-old is a favourite of Amorim when fit and available.

The trio's absence will therefore be a major blow for Man United during such an important period of the season.

All three are set to be involved when the 20-time English champions continue their 2025-26 Premier League campaign with a trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon.