Manchester United: Ruben Amorim wants to delay the departure of Mbeumou, Diallo and Mazraoui

Manchester United will try to postpone the departure of Brian Mbeumou, Amad Diallo and Nassir Mazraoui to the Africa Cup of Nations.

Championship regulations mean United must release the trio two weeks before the first matches of Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Morocco.

This means allowing them to leave during the Premier League match with Wolves at Molineux on December 8.

The Moroccan national team, led by Mazraoui, will host the tournament and will play in the opening match against the Comoros on December 21.

Ivory Coast winger Imad and Cameroonian striker Mbeumo will play their first match on December 24. The final will be played on January 18, raising the possibility of missing eight Premier League matches and an FA Cup third round match.

However, with Mbomou and Amad already being regular starters, and Al Mazrui now fit again and providing cover in a number of defensive positions, United are trying to postpone that until at least after their next match against Bournemouth on 15 December. United also play Aston Villa on December 21.

United succeeded in keeping goalkeeper Andre Onana until the day before Cameroon’s first match in the competition two years ago. Onana ended up missing only one match – the FA Cup tie at Newport.

Technical director Ruben Amorim said the club would talk to the players’ national unions.

“We have rules about when we have to release players [but] “We are trying to keep the players a little longer,” said the Portuguese.

“It’s just not in our hands. We’ll see. We’ll try to arrange something with the federations.”

Even an extra game could be crucial as Amorim says he expects Benjamin Sisko to recover from the knee injury he suffered at Tottenham on November 8 around the same time.

If United are missing Cisco, Mbomo and Amad, it would mean a major reshuffle in their attack, with Joshua Zirkzee and Kobe Maino likely being needed, both of whom have not been used frequently this season.

“He’ll be out for a few weeks,” was Amorim’s response when asked about Cisco. “It’s not that serious and we have to be careful with him.

“I don’t want to say it for sure, but when they’re gone, I expect Ben to come back.”