Manchester United star Brian Mbeumo has reacted to the unusual circumstances surrounding his departure for the Africa Cup of Nations, suggesting he is unfazed by the situation. The striker is one of three United players, along with Amad and Nousser Mazraoui, who are expected to depart in the next few days to represent their country in the competition.
FIFA has set a deadline of December 15th for players to join their national teams. However, this day coincides with United’s Premier League home match against Bournemouth. There remains uncertainty over whether United’s trio will be available for Monday night’s game before joining their respective countries, with manager Ruben Amorim admitting it is still undecided.
However, this ambiguity does not seem to have affected the morale of Mbeumo or Amado.
On Friday night, the Cameroonian posted a photo of himself and Lenny Yolo, taken by Amado, on his Instagram Story.
In the photo, Amado has a comical expression on his face, and Yoro can be seen in the background.
Mbeumo tagged both teammates and added the message: “No problem guys,” along with a sunglasses emoji.
He shared a second image, this time taken by Yoro, with Amado again drawing his face in the background.
While Mbeumo and Amad will take part in the tournament, Frenchman Yoro will remain at United and aim to assist the team.
In Friday’s pre-match press conference, Amorim admitted there remained uncertainty over the availability of Mbeumo, Amad and Mazraoui against Bournemouth.
“We are waiting until the last moment when we have all the players to choose the best team to start the match,” he said. “We expect a decision to be made today or tomorrow.
“Every national team has their own ideas about when to bring in players. We don’t know if the situation will be the same (for each player). It depends on the game.”
“It’s frustrating, but at the same time no one knows who’s going to play. So I think this is a good thing.”
“We have players who can handle everything and a long week will tell us a lot to prepare for the game and any situation.”
Mbeumo has become a key player under Amorim since joining in the summer transfer window. The 26-year-old has played in every Premier League game this season and has scored six goals.
Amad has found himself in an equal position, regularly starting at right wing-back. Mazraoui has struggled to establish his place this season, but has started the last two games as part of a back three.
