Manchester United are preparing to hold urgent discussions with the football associations of Cameroon, Morocco, and Ivory Coast as the club seeks to postpone the release of Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui, and Amad Diallo for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.

This year’s AFCON is scheduled to begin on December 21 and end on January 18, a period that would see United miss the trio during an important stretch of fixtures.

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has not given up hope of negotiating delayed releases for his Africa Cup of Nations-bound players, with the club desperate to keep them for the upcoming Premier League fixtures against Wolves (away on 8 December) and Bournemouth (home on 15 December).

Speaking to reporters, Amorim said: “We’re working to try to keep the players with us a little longer, but we’ll see how it goes. The rule is two weeks before the tournament starts, so we’re in talks with the federations to find a solution.

“We’ve known about AFCON for a long time, so it will be an opportunity for others to step up. It’s far from ideal because these players are absolutely vital to our squad.”