“An exceptional football player”: Owen Hargreaves compares United talisman to Liverpool superstar

Former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves has lavished praise on Bryan Mbeumo following his fiery start to life at the Theatre of Dreams. The Cameroonian forward caught the eye with Brentford last season, subsequently appearing on the Red Devils’ radar this summer. There was significant interest in his signature, but after a long-drawn-out saga, United finally managed to secure his services in a reported £71m deal. United’s new talisman Mbeumo took no time to settle at Old Trafford and wowed fans with a sizzling debut against Arsenal. The Cameroonian scored his first goal for United in the defeat to Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup second-round tie. The 26 year old has since made the right-forward position his own, registering six goals in 12 games, all but one of which have been starts. Bryan Mbeumo Stats: 2025/26 Season CompetitionAppearancesGoalsAssistsYellow CardsRed CardsMinutes Premier League1151––956′ EFL Cup11–––45′ Total1261––1,001′ Source: Transfermarkt Mbeumo has registered 52 touches in the opposition box and 22 shots in the Premier League, the most for United. Only Matthijs de Ligt and Bruno Fernandes have logged more minutes than him for the Red Devils in the league this season. The Cameroonian is fast becoming United’s new talisman, helping to ease the goalscoring burden on their mercurial skipper. Mbeumo’s performances have now seen him compared to a Liverpool superstar. Doesn’t get enough credit Speaking recently, as cited by Metro, Hargreaves said: “I think his biggest attribute is that he gives real quality. He reminds me of Mohamed Salah in and around the box.” “When he gets the ball, he has a clear picture of exactly what he wants to do. Whether the finish is near post or back post, he almost shows no emotion. “It’s just business in and around the box, and I love that. You can play it into his feet, he can dribble. [Peter] Crouch mentioned his touch and how sharp he is but technically, I don’t think he gets enough credit. “People talk about his goal-scoring and rightly so, but he is an exceptional football player. Many players have come to Manchester United with big names and struggled with the pressure but that hasn’t been the case with Mbeumo.” Salah has scored 250 goals and set up 116 more in 417 appearances for Liverpool to date. If Mbeumo can be equally decisive for United in the coming years, the Red Devils could soon find themselves back among Europe’s elite. Final thoughts When Salah joined Liverpool as a 25 year old in 2017, he was coming off a spectacular season with AS Roma, during which he racked up 19 goals and 14 assists in 41 games. Last season, Mbeumo scored 20 goals and set up nine more in 42 games for the Bees. The Cameroonian certainly has the stats on his side, and few people would bet against him right now. INEOS, however, will need to ensure that Mbeumo has the right players around him to flourish at the Theatre of Dreams. This summer was a promising start, but the recruitment team will have to be equally efficient in the upcoming transfer windows to help United regain their former glory. Premier League stats taken from Premier League website 🚨🏆 Bryan Mbeumo wins Player of the Month Award for October after his performances for Man United. 🇨🇲 pic.twitter.com/wA68rhd0eu — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 7, 2025 Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.