Manchester United boost as AFCON player release deadline pushed back to December 15

Manchester United are among the most affected clubs due to the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

The Red Devils will be losing three key players in Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui to the tournament later this month.

But in a boost to the Manchester titans, the deadline for clubs to release players for AFCON has been pushed back to December 15, per The Athletic.

Teams were previously required to release players weeks before the first game, but this has now been reduced to just seven days.

The relaxation of the rules mean Mbeumo and Amad will be fine to play United’s home clash with Bournemouth on 15 December, as Cameroon and the Ivory Coast don’t play until 24 December.

However, Mazraoui’s involvement looks to be an issue, as Morocco will begin their campaign on 21 December.

AFCON runs from 21 December to 18 January, with the United trio set to miss fixtures against Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Depending on how far any of them progresses in the tournament, they could also miss games against Leeds United, Burnley and Manchester City.

Mbeumo came to the club in the summer, and has hit the ground running at Old Trafford, scoring six goals in 14 senior appearances.

Amad has also been a key member of Ruben Amorim’s first-team this campaign, with four direct goal contributions in 12 Premier League games.

Mazraoui has played a bit-part role at Old Trafford so far this term, but he started 34 top-flight matches last season.

Stats from Transfermarkt