Man Utd Forwards Pull Out of National Team Squads Ahead of Big Season Finale

The Red Devils are favored over Liverpool or Chelsea to qualify for the Champions League.

Michael Carricl will hope there is no major concern. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images

Manchester United forwards Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Šeško have withdrawn from national team duty for Cameroon and Slovenia respectively this month because of fitness concerns.

Mbeumo came off 20 minutes before the end of Friday’s 2–2 Premier League draw against Bournemouth and United say the decision for his withdrawal from Cameroon’s squad for non-competitive ‘FIFA Series’ matches against Australia and China is a “precaution.”

Slovenia also only have friendlies to play—rather than the World Cup qualifiers that 12 European countries are still competing in—and Šeško is out with what appears to be an injury he has been playing through at club level. His withdrawal should “ensure that he fully recovers from an issue that United have been carefully managing throughout recent weeks.”

The fact that neither Cameroon nor Slovenia, who will both miss the World Cup, has anything but pride on the line in the coming days perhaps made the decisions a bit easier for all parties.

Joining up with a national team, fellow United player Noussair Mazraoui will now report for duty with Morocco after illness had briefly led to doubts about his involvement. The Atlas Lions continue their World Cup preparations with friendlies against Ecuador and Paraguay.

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Mbeumo, Šeško on Course for Big Roles in Season’s End

Man Utd need the pair fit. | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

There appears to be nothing serious about either player not reporting for their national teams.

Mbeumo and Šeško have each scored 10 goals for United this season—nine each in the Premier League. The former started the campaign in better form after moving from Brentford but hasn’t added to his tally in the last six weeks. The latter was more of a slow burn as he transitioned to life in a new league and country, but has hit his stride with eight of his goals in 2026 alone.

Both players being fully fit for the final stretch of the season after this international break will be crucial to Manchester United’s overall prospects.

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Champions League Qualification Within Reach

Chelsea losing was a help to Man Utd. | Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images

Dropping points against Bournemouth could have been more of a setback for Michael Carrick’s Red Devils in pursuit of Champions League qualification. United still sit third in the Premier League table and fourth-place Aston Villa closed the gap to a single point, but defeats for Chelsea and Liverpool over the weekend meant that the advantage over both actually increased.

With England now very likely to secure a fifth Champions League berth after five teams progressed to the quarterfinals across the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League last week, United’s cushion on sixth-place Chelsea is seven points with only seven games left.

Manchester United don’t play again now until April 13, when Leeds United visit Old Trafford. There is then a hugely important and potentially decisive visit to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge five days later.

United also still must host Liverpool at Old Trafford at the start of May, putting their Champions League qualification fate firmly in their own hands.

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