Manchester United received good news as Brian Mbeumo and Amad Diallo are set to return as options for the Manchester Derby after their national teams were eliminated from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
On 11 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Manchester United received important positive news ahead of a major Premier League match. Brian Mbeumo and Amad Diallo are preparing to return as options for the team in the Manchester Derby against Manchester City on 17 Jan after their national teams were knocked out of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Currently, the "Red Devils" are scheduled to host Brighton in the FA Cup tonight before focusing on the highly significant league game, especially after having suffered a 0-3 away defeat to Man City in the season's first leg at the Etihad Stadium, where Erling Haaland scored twice.
Man Utd's hopes for redemption grew after Mbeumo's Cameroon lost 0-2 to host Morocco in the quarterfinals last Friday night.
Mbeumo started for the "Indomitable Lions" but could not help the team avoid elimination, finishing the tournament without scoring a single goal.
The 25-year-old forward has not played for Man Utd since the thrilling 4-4 draw with Bournemouth last month. Although his national team duties have ended, he is not yet ready to return for this weekend's FA Cup match.
Darren Fletcher, acting as interim coach following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim, confirmed that Mbeumo still needs time to regain full fitness before returning to play.
Meanwhile, Amad Diallo, another Man Utd player in AFCON, faced disappointment after Ivory Coast narrowly lost 2-3 to seven-time champions Egypt in the quarterfinals, with the young winger starting that match.
However, Man Utd's good news comes at the cost of missing Noussair Mazraoui, who remains with Morocco as they advance to the tournament's final week. He will definitely miss the derby game, whether in the third-place playoff or the final.