Manchester United’s new signing Bryan Mbeumo has described a key attacking target for the Red Devils as a “complete striker” in an interview with Rio Ferdinand.
Fix the attack
United have prioritised a comprehensive overhaul of Ruben Amorim’s misfiring forward line after the club endured its worst campaign in the Premier League era last year.
Finishing in a dismal 15th place in the table, United scored a paltry 44 times across the season with only Everton and the three relegated sides – Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton – returning fewer goals.
The striker partnership of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee combined for just seven league goals, despite costing more than £100 million in transfer fees across successive summer windows.
By comparison, Jamie Vardy, Leicester’s 38-year-old captain, scored nine in total while playing for a side destined for relegation before a ball was kicked last season.
A three-prong approach was taken by United to improve the attack with opening day offers made for Matheus Cunha (Wolverhampton Wanderers) and Liam Delap (Ipswich), due to both forwards having release clauses which removed any need to negotiate with their respective clubs.
But while the pursuit of Cunha proved successful, with a £62.5 million deal agreed in June, Delap rebuffed United’s advances in favour of a move to Chelsea for £30 million.
This led the Red Devils to switch focus to Mbeumo with Brentford’s attacking talisman enjoying the best campaign of his career last season with 20 goals and eight assists in the league.
But the Bees proved difficult, bordering on obstinate, negotiators for their prized asset and it took over seven weeks from United’s opening bid (£45m + £10m in add-ons) to the point Brentford accepted the final offer, worth a total of £71m (£65m with £6m in add-ons).
Mbeumo was considered a key target by Amorim, however, and United are believed to be quietly content with the deal, given interest from elsewhere in England and prices paid for other players in the Premier League with far less impressive seasons than the Cameroon international.
United have now turned focus back to a striker with both Cunha and Mbeumo targeted to play as number tens in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system; the hunt for a new number nine rumbles on.
And then there were two
After the pursuit of first-choice target Delap fell through, United made enquiries for Viktor Gyokeres (Sporting CP) and Hugo Ekitike (Eintracht Frankfurt).
But in the same vein as Delap, both forwards ultimately chose to join the club’s domestic rivals with Arsenal securing Gyokeres and Liverpool signing Ekitike.
This has now led to United’s wish list for the number nine position narrowing down to two remaining options: Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) and Benjamin Sesko (RB Leipzig).
Deals for both strikers are being explored without a clear indication on who is favoured as they have contrasting profiles.
But if it was left up to Mbeumo who he would partner up front at Old Trafford next season, the 25-year-old would appear very happy to reunite with his former teammate at Brentford, Watkins.
The pair formed a formidable partnership in the Championship for the Bees, returning a total of 41 goals and 10 assists in the 2019/20 season, before Watkins left the Gtech Community Stadium to join Villa.
Speaking in an interview with Ferdinand, Mbeumo was asked by the former centre-back what Watkins was like to have as a team mate, both on an off the pitch.
“It was important to have a really good relationship [with Watkins]. I could have a chat with him after my English got better. I think he’s a complete striker. He can do a lot of things, drop deep, go in behind. It is really good for me because you can use that space there. He can combine as well, really good.”
The prospect of slotting Watkins alongside Mbeumo and Cunha, with all three players reaching double figures in the league last season, is a tantalising one for a club so desperately starved of goals and threat in the opposition box.
Featured image David Rogers via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
