Amorim reveals Man Utd’s Mbeumo ‘problem’ and what it means for January transfer window

Manchester United face a “problem” with top scorer Bryan Mbeumo ahead of the January transfer window, according to manager Ruben Amorim.

The Portuguese saw his side rescue a 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday thanks to a late header from Matthijs de Ligt, yet it was star summer signing Mbeumo who opened the scoring for the Red Devils.

The 26-year-old has lit up Old Trafford since completing a drawn-out €75 million move from Brentford in the summer, scoring six goals in 12 appearances across all competitions thus far.

But the Cameroon international is set to leave Man Utd in January for the Africa Cup of Nations and could, therefore, miss numerous matches as a result.

It’s something that Amorim is not relishing, particularly with Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui also expected to depart for the tournament.

Mbeumo’s absence, though, promises to be particularly problematic, with Joshua Zirkzee the only striking option available after Benjamin Sesko was struck down through injury and had to depart the field early against Spurs. Indeed, there have been reports that Man Utd want to delay Mbeumo’s departure for AFCON.

Amorim hints at signings

Amorim was asked if this injury could force United into the transfer market and replied: “We’ll see. We have to check what’s happened with Ben.

“Of course we are going to have a problem with AFCON, but we already knew that. Managing that situation is going to be hard, but let’s see when the window is open if we can improve the team and try to repair something. Until then, we have to take the chance.”

Mbeumo is set to take the strain in the absence of Sesko, but the silver lining of Man Utd’s lack of European football is that they have a light schedule that should be manageable with limited attacking options.

The lack of game-changing alternatives on the bench, though, will be a greater issue for Amorim in the meantime.

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