Amad and Bryan Mbeumo are due to return to Manchester United training this week ahead of the Premier League clash against Manchester City.
Manchester United are still without a win in 2026 as they prepare to host local rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.
The year has started unconvincingly for United, with a 1-1 draw against 16th-placed Leeds United, a 2-2 stalemate with 19th-placed Burnley, and an FA Cup exit at home to Brighton. Those results came amid significant upheaval at the club, including the dismissal of former Head Coach Rúben Amorim.
With United now planning to appoint a caretaker manager until the end of the season, Saturday’s Premier League clash with City will mark the interim boss’ first match in charge, though the identity of that figure remains uncertain.
Reports suggest former United midfielder Michael Carrick is the leading candidate, but a final decision has yet to be made. An official announcement is expected within the next 48 hours.
When Mbeumo and Amad return to training
Last week, it was confirmed that Bryan Mbeumo and Amad would both be returning to United following their respective exits from the Africa Cup of Nations at the quarter-final stage.
Mbeumo and his Cameroon squad suffered a 1-0 defeat against hosts Morocco on Friday evening, and Amad’s Ivory Coast were beaten 3-2 by Egypt on Saturday.
Both players are due to fly back to Manchester and may already have returned, and it has been confirmed that, following the Brighton loss, the United first-team squad are due to return to training on Wednesday. This will include Amad and Mbeumo.
At the same time, it’s expected that the club’s new interim boss will also take charge of the side for the first time, with former midfielder Carrick the current favourite for the caretaker job until the end of the campaign.
Amad and Mbeumo can solve recent headache
Since Amorim’s sacking, United have drawn with Burnley and lost to Brighton, but there were some encouraging signs in their attacking intent.
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Under temporary boss Darren Fletcher, United have had 49 shots across those two fixtures, with Benjamin Šeško scoring all three goals. The main criticism across the last two ties has been a lack of clinical finishing and quality in the final actions.
Against Brighton, many of United’s best chances actually fell to right-back Diogo Dalot, who was playing in a very advanced position. However, with both Amad and Mbeumo natural right-wingers, they could be the ones to lift what has been a significant headache in the last 180 minutes of football.
Mbeumo is also United’s top scorer this season with seven goals to his name, despite missing the last six games, of which United have won just one, due to AFCON. United have lacked a clinical edge, and the returning duo have to be the ones to fix it.
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