Manchester United is set to expedite negotiations regarding the Africa Cup of Nations release dates for players Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo, and Noussair Mazraoui, following a disappointing defeat to Everton on Monday.

The trio emerged as standout performers despite United’s lackluster showing against a 10-man Everton side. Their potential absence looms large, as they could miss up to eight Premier League fixtures and the FA Cup’s third round if their respective national teams—Cameroon, Ivory Coast, or hosts Morocco—advance to the final on January 18.

Reports indicate that United initiated discussions only towards the end of the recent international break. However, the club is eager to retain all three players for their upcoming home clash against Bournemouth on December 15, a match that has seen them suffer 3-0 defeats in the past two seasons. United plans to reach out to the three national federations for support, especially after Everton exposed the squad’s depth issues under manager Ruben Amorim.

As previously disclosed, United had negotiated an arrangement with Cameroon that saw Andre Onana miss just one game during the last Africa Cup of Nations. Amorim confirmed last week that the club is actively pursuing similar strategies to retain Mbeumo, Diallo, and Mazraoui for an extended period.

“We are aware of the rules regarding player release, but our aim is to keep the players with us a bit longer,” Amorim stated. “It’s not entirely within our control, but we will attempt to reach an agreement with the federations.”

Fan anger over queues

United insist there were no ‘systemic’ problems with ticketing on Monday night despite dozens of fans missing kick-off against Everton while stuck in turnstile queues.

Fans shared pictures on social media of long queues at several entrances to Old Trafford, with some claiming they took more than half an hour to get in.

This sesaon, the club launched a new NFC (Near Field Communication) ticket system – which works in the same way as a contactless payment – and there have been teething problems with the technology in some of the club’s Premier League games. But United say it was not at fault for the problems seen on Monday night.

A club spokesperson said: ‘We understand the frustration of fans caught in queues close to kick-off and we are constantly looking for ways to improve flows, including deploying additional stewarding staff to help deal with any issues causing hold-ups at turnstiles. However, in general, digital ticketing has been working well and there were no systemic problems reported last night.

‘The best way to avoid queues is to arrive at the stadium in plenty of time before kick-off, although we do appreciate that this can be more difficult for midweek games, and that many fans were affected by traffic congestion around the ground last night.’

Fans fight for freeze 

Meanwhile, four United fan groups have joined a campaign calling on clubs to freeze home ticket prices for two years. MUST, The 1958, The Red Army and the Manchester United Youth Supporters Club have signed an open letter as part of an initiative from the Football Supporters’ Association.

They are urging clubs to halt any price rises for the next two seasons as part of the FSA’s #StopExploitingLoyalty campaign.

United have increased season ticket prices by around five per cent on average for the last three seasons, while last November Sir Jim Ratcliffe caused outrage with a mid-campaign hike to £66 for tickets for home games that had not yet been sold.

Casemiro walking a tightrope

Casemiro’s booking against Everton means the Brazilian is now walking a tightrope with one more yellow card set to trigger a one-match ban. Five cautions in the first 19 Premier League matches leads to a suspension, and Casemiro is on four bookings after 12 games, meaning Ruben Amorim faces losing the Brazilian at a time when he already has injury concerns and the AFCON headache.

While Casemiro struggled like everyone else against Everton, United have looked a significantly softer touch without him, conceding six goals when he is on the pitch and 13 when he isn’t.

Given Amorim’s public dressing down of Manuel Ugarte this week over the Uruguayan’s poor training performances, coupled with a lack of trust to play Kobbie Mainoo alongside Bruno Fernandes, a real selection dilemma is on the horizon unless Casemiro can navigate the next seven games without a yellow card.

In the meantime, the clock ticks down on his United contract as talks continue over taking a pay cut on his £375,000-a-week salary. If the club don’t agree fresh terms or trigger a one-year extension on Casemiro’s contract next month, he can talk to foreign clubs from January 1.

Sesko a hit for VIPs

United fans had little to smile about after what was served up against Everton on Monday night, but those in the posh seats have told Confidential that special guest Benjamin Sesko went down a treat.

The injured striker, who is sidelined for a couple more weeks with a knee issue picked up against Tottenham, was the designated non-playing squad member to host a Q&A session in three hospitality suites.

Sesko was in good spirits answering fan questions before the match, but defeat to Everton underlined they need him out on the pitch as soon as possible.

Heaven could be sent on loan

Diego Leon and Sekou Kone are two of the young United players who could go out on loan in January, and Ayden Heaven’s situation is also likely to be assessed.

The talented 19-year-old defender has shown plenty of promise under Ruben Amorim, but he has played just 92 minutes this season and was an unused substitute in Monday’s defeat by Everton at Old Trafford. United having only one game a week has certainly put a major roadblock in Heaven’s development path.

Lisandro Martinez’s return on the bench against Everton pushes Heaven down to third-choice left centre back, behind the Argentine and Luke Shaw, and his place on the bench could even be at risk once Harry Maguire is fit again in the coming weeks.

Having Martinez back to free up Shaw as a left wing-back could also mean Leon heads out in January.

Leon arrived last summer in a deal worth up to £7m, and said he had no intention of going out on loan. But after being on the bench three times this season, the 18-year-old’s only action has come with the Under 21s and his training has been split between the senior group and the academy. Reports in South America say Leon is now keen on the prospect of a loan move, and Ineos-owned Nice could be an ideal destination.

United’s Mani tribute

The Red Army had a helping hand from United to put together a tribute to the late Stone Roses bassist Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield before the Everton game.

The club helped with printing a banner at short notice in memory of Mani who passed away last week at the age of 63. United provided a Stone Roses-themed playlist at Old Trafford, which included I Wanna Be Adored before the teams walked out as usual to This is the One, and displayed the word ‘Adored’ on pitchside advertising boards with the band’s branding.

Stadium announcer Alan Keegan was also dressed in the Stone Roses collection that was launched by United last year, including a trademark beanie hat.

Basketball talk is slam dunked

Reports that United are interested in setting up a basketball franchise, 40 years after winning the British title, was news to everyone at Old Trafford and left club officials rather bemused.

Gianni Petrucci, head of the Italian Basketball Federation who is involved in plans for NBA Europe to launch in up to 12 cities for the 2027-28 season, told Corriere dello Sport: ‘If Manchester United, the most popular football team in the world, has already said yes, there must be a reason.’

Confidential understands that United haven’t said yes at all. The club’s sole focus is on developing successful men’s and women’s football teams, which is proving challenging enough without the distraction of a basketball franchise.

United went down that road once in the mid-80s when they set up a rival team to the Manchester Giants and then merged with their rivals, winding up before the end of their third season. United won the British title in 1985 and 1986, and welcomed some of Europe’s heavyweights including Real Madrid and Barcelona to Stretford Leisure Centre.

Former player and Manchester basketball stalwart Jeff Jones suggested that Sir Alex Ferguson replacing Ron Atkinson might have had something to do with United turning their back on the sport, at a time when the football team were struggling to win a first league title since 1967 and English clubs were banned from Europe.

‘I think it was a case of the football people at United thinking “what have we done?”,’ Jones recalls. ‘The reality was the basketball team was really successful. I remember us parading trophies around the pitch at Old Trafford. Now if I was a footballer and I hadn’t won, it would irk me too.’

Best was streets ahead

On the 20th anniversary of George Best’s passing, Confidential is reminded of a fascinating insight into the mercurial Northern Irishman’s rise at United compared with modern-day stars.

Former United and City winger Peter Barnes remembers walking home from school in Chorlton with friends and knocking on the door of the modest terraced house in Aycliffe Avenue – where Best stayed with his landlady Mary Fullaway – if the Lotus parked outside indicated the winger was home.

‘We’d ask if he was coming out,’ recalls Barnes. ‘George would say, “Hi lads, give me five minutes, I’m just having my tea”. Then he’d play cricket with us in the street. Brilliant.’

FA Youth Cup back at OT

United’s Under 18s were denied the chance to play at Old Trafford last season in round five of the FA Youth Cup as part of Ineos’ cost-cutting measures – saving them £8,000 as the club instead hosted the tie at Leigh Sports Village instead.

But it’s all change this season with Darren Fletcher’s side running out the Old Trafford pitch against Peterborough United in round three on December 9.

JJ Gabriel and Kai Rooney, both 15, are part of Fletcher’s young group and fans will get a rare opportunity to catch some of the club’s most exciting prospects at the Theatre of Dreams.

Old Trafford’s schedule opened up significantly after United missed out on Europe as a result of losing the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur last season, and one of the beneficiaries is the Under 18s in the FA Youth Cup.

United made it to the semi-finals last season, losing on penalties at Aston Villa.

Danny joins super vets

Danny Simpson played for 11 clubs during a professional career that started at United and ended in the summer of 2024. Now at the age of 38, Confidential learns that the Eccles-born defender has completed another transfer, officially moving from Monton Vets to join the growing band of Premier League all-stars at Wythenshawe.

The Cheshire Veterans League Premier Division outfit hit the headlines recently due to the number of big names who have been persuaded to sign up for the club by Stephen Ireland including Papiss Cisse, Danny Drinkwater, Emile Heskey, Joleon Lescott and George Boyd. Not surprisingly, Wythenshawe are currently top of the table with maximum points and a goal difference of +32 after four games.

Simpson, who works as a MUTV pundit now, left his boyhood club United in 2010 to play for Newcastle, QPR and Leicester, where he was part of the title-winning fairy tale in 2016. He also went out on loan to Royal Antwerp, Sunderland, Ipswich and Blackburn during his time at United.

‘I’m signed on. I’ve just had confirmation back from the FA,’ Simpson told Confidential through WDW Bingo. ‘It’s all about that experience of meeting up with the lads, warming up, playing together and socialising.

‘I know many players leave football and never want to play again, but there are just as many of us who miss it daily, so I signed on for Wythenshawe Vets.’

Muslim fan groups make history

History will be made at Chelsea’s Cobham training centre on Saturday when Muslim supporters’ groups of Manchester United and Chelsea face each other in a friendly.

The match is slated to be the first organised game of its kind between two Premier League clubs.

The two groups combine on social media for around 160,000 followers and the hope among organisers is that the friendly will eventually be extrapolated into a wider Supporters’ Cup open to fans of all backgrounds and teams.