Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images

Why Is Bryan Mbeumo Not Playing Tonight for Manchester United vs Aston Villa?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Emmanuel Mendez | Last updated Dec 21, 2025 10:17 AM ET

Manchester United are set to play against Aston Villa away at Villa Park today in their 17th league match of the season. Manchester United has the opportunity to continue the push into the European spot in the league table with a win today.

Aston Villa is seen as a huge challenge for Manchester United since they currently sit third in the league with 33 points and are below Manchester City and Arsenal.

Aston Villa is currently on a nine-game winning streak across all competitions, which includes a 2-1 home win over Arsenal, who are still top of the Premier League table.

Manchester United not only faces the challenge to play against Aston Villa away from home, but also plays them without one of their best attacking players this season, Bryan Mbeumo.

Bryan Mbeumo of Manchester United shoots wide during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Bournemouth at Old Trafford on December 15, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)

Bryan Mbeumo is currently Manchester United's top goalscorer in the Premier League this season with six goals. Mbeumo played and started in all of Man United's 16 Premier League matches this season.

This will be the first game in the league this season where Mbeumo will miss for the team. The 26-year-old forward is not in the squad for the match against Aston Villa today.

Why Bryan Mbeumo won't play vs Aston Villa?

Bryan Mbeumo is not injured, but he is currently not in the squad as he is on international duty with the Cameroon national team. Cameroon will play in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament, which begins today, December 21, 2025.

Mbeumo and Cameroon are in Group F in the AFCON tournament along with Gabon, the Ivory Coast, and Mozambique.

Cameroon will play its first match in the AFCON tournament against Gabon on Wednesday, December 24, 2025. Mbeumo will return to the Manchester United squad depending on how Cameroon does in the tournament.

The AFCON starts on December 21, 2025, and ends on January 18, 2026. Mbeumo isn't the only Manchester United player to play in the AFCON, as Amad Diallo of the Ivory Coast and Noussair Mazraoui of Morocco will be playing in the tournament as well.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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