Manchester United have been handed a significant boost ahead of next Sunday's derby clash with Manchester City, with top scorer Bryan Mbeumo expected to be available again. The former Brentford star has missed the last five games after joining up with Cameroon for the Africa Cup of Nations, but his tournament ended on Friday with a 2-0 defeat to Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Mbeumo was left frustrated by a key decision in the match, feeling he was denied a clear penalty. 'I felt he touched me. And they showed me the footage after the match: it's very, very obvious,' he said. 'I don't know what else to say, I don't know if this match was decided solely on that.' Despite the disappointment, he praised his young team and said the experience would enrich them.
Interim boss Darren Fletcher confirmed that Mbeumo and Noussair Mazraoui would not be available for Sunday's FA Cup third round clash against Brighton, citing the tight turnaround from the tournament. However, with the derby a week away, Mbeumo is expected to be back in contention. United have also been boosted by the returns of Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, and Harry Maguire from injury, leaving Matthijs de Ligt as the only remaining absentee.
It remains unclear who will be in charge for the derby, with Fletcher overseeing the Brighton game and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer holding talks with the club about taking over as caretaker boss until the end of the season.
