For once, there's good news coming out of Old Trafford. And trust me, after the month they've had, United fans will take anything they can get.
Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo are on their way home. Both men crashed out of the Africa Cup of Nations at the quarter-final stage, and while that's gutting for Cameroon and Ivory Coast respectively, it's music to the ears of every soul in the red half of Manchester.
The cavalry returns
Cameroon went down 2-0 to hosts Morocco on Friday night. Brahim Diaz opened the scoring and the Indomitable Lions never recovered. Mbeumo couldn't find his club form in Morocco, but he'll be desperate to put that right when he walks back through the doors at Carrington.
Amad had a rather better tournament. Three goals in five games, man of the match twice in the group stages, and the kind of performances that had Ivorian fans dreaming of back-to-back titles. Then Egypt happened. A 3-2 thriller that left the Elephants packing their bags and wondering what might have been.
Both players are expected to be fit and available for the Manchester derby on January 17th. Not the Brighton FA Cup tie this Sunday — that's too quick a turnaround — but the big one. The one that actually matters.
Fletcher's brief reign
Darren Fletcher confirmed as much earlier this week: "I think it's too close a turnaround. Bryan and Nous will not be available for the game."
That's Noussair Mazraoui he's referring to, and here's where the news gets murkier. Morocco are still in it. Still very much in it. The Atlas Lions face Nigeria in the semi-finals, and if they go all the way, United's right-back won't be back until the dust has settled on the entire January schedule.
So the full cavalry? Not quite. But Mbeumo and Amad are the ones United have been crying out for.
A mess that needs fixing
Let's be blunt: this club has been an absolute shambles since those three left for Morocco. One win in five league games. One goal per match until the Burnley draw. Ruben Amorim sacked on January 5th after the wheels came off in spectacular fashion.
The 75-million-euro man Mbeumo was United's top scorer in the Premier League before he flew out. Six goals in 16 appearances. The kind of numbers that actually justify that record-breaking fee for an African player. Without him, United looked about as threatening as a wet paper bag.
Amad, meanwhile, has been the surprise package of United's season. Playing wing-back, playing number ten, playing wherever Amorim needed him before the Portuguese got the chop. He'll come back full of confidence after his AFCON exploits, and with a new manager incoming, that fresh start feeling might do everyone some good.
City are waiting
Here's the thing about derbies: form goes out the window. City hammered United 3-0 back in September. Haaland scored twice. Foden got on the scoresheet. It was men against boys.
But that was a different United. A different manager. A different vibe entirely. With Mbeumo's pace on the right, with Amad's trickery and directness, with two players who actually know where the goal is... maybe, just maybe, they can make a game of it at Old Trafford.
The 12:30 kick-off on Sky Sports will tell us everything we need to know about where this season is going. Are United genuinely in a title race, or are they just making up the numbers? The return of their African stars might just swing it.
Either way, Saturday January 17th just got a whole lot more interesting.
