Will Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo play for Manchester United against Bournemouth? Report sheds light on talks with Ivory Coast and Cameroon

Manchester United are set to face Bournemouth at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Monday, December 15. They will have both Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo available for the crucial clash.

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025-26 is set to commence on Sunday, December 21. The deadline for the players to report for national duty was December 15. Hence, it was expected that Mbeumo and Diallo would be unavailable for the match against Bournemouth.

However, as per a report by The Athletic, Manchester United has been able to secure both players for Monday's game. Cameroon and the Ivory Coast have given permission to Mbeumo and Diallo, respectively, to join the national camp one day later. Both Cameroon and the Ivory Coast's first games at AFCON 2025-26 are on Christmas Eve against Gabon and Mozambique, respectively.

It will be a big boost for Ruben Amorim as Mbeumo and Diallo have been key players for Manchester United this season. Mbeumo has registered seven goals and one assist in 16 games across competitions since arriving from Brentford for £71 million in the summer. Meanwhile, Diallo has recorded one goal and three assists in 15 games, largely playing as a wingback.

It's unclear if Noussair Mazaroui will feature against Bournemouth or not. Morocco will open the tournament against Comoros at home on December 21.

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Ruben Amorim opened up about uncertainty surrounding Manchester United players going for AFCON

Ruben Amorim shared his thoughts about the situation in his pre-match press conference on Friday, December 12. He said that while the players are training, it was 'frustrating'. The Portuguese said:

"We are still in conversation with the national teams. The game is Monday. They are here, they are training and we are trying to prepare all the scenarios to prepare the game. It's frustrating, but at the same time nobody knows who is going to play." "So it's a good thing I think. So we have players to cope with everything and that is something. With a long week you can see a lot of things and work on several things to prepare for the game and any situation," he added.

Manchester United are eighth in the Premier League standings, but could move to fifth place with a win on Monday. Bournemouth, meanwhile, are 15th and could move to 11th place.

The Red Devils beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-1 in their last game, while Bournemouth played out a goalless draw against Chelsea.

Edited by Aditya Singh