0 crosses, 0 dribbles, 1 big chance missed: United star has been off the boil for some time now, Carrick needs to drop him

Manchester United succumbed to their first defeat under Michael Carrick, losing 1-2 to Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Wednesday. The loss was made even more painful by the fact that it came despite the Magpies being down to 10 men for over 45 minutes. None of the United players impressed, but Bryan Mbeumo stuck out like a sore thumb, putting in his worst performance of the season. The Cameroonian seemed wasted out wide, managing a mere 19 passes during his 77-minute stay on the pitch, ending his stint with a poor 76 percent passing accuracy. Bryan Mbeumo disasterclass He was a ghost out wide, failing to find a teammate with any of his four crosses. The former Brentford man also failed to complete a single dribble. The 26-year-old had a brilliant chance to score, but fluffed his lines from only a few yards out and the goalkeeper out of position. CategoryStat Goals0 Expected Goals (xG)0.23 Assists0 Expected Assists (xA)0.07 Key Passes1 Crosses (Accurate)4 (0) Accurate Passes19/25 (76%) Passes in Opposition Half (Acc.)16/21 (76%) Passes in Own Half (Acc.)3/4 (75%) Total Shots1 Shots on Target0 Shots Blocked0 Big Chances Missed1 Touches36 Unsuccessful Touches1 Dribbles (Successful)1 (0) Possession Lost12 Total Carrying Distance167.1 m Carries17 Progressive Carries3 Total Progression55.3 m Progressive Carrying Distance67.9 m Longest Progressive Carry23.8 m Defensive Contributions3 Tackles (Won)2 (1) Interceptions0 Clearances1 Blocked Shots0 Recoveries2 Ground Duels (Won)7 (2) Fouls4 Dribbled Past0 match stats via sofascore Without the ball, Bryan Mbeumo was equally poor, winning a mere two out of his seven ground duels. In fact, he earned the lowest rating (5.9) on Sofascore among all United players. Doesn’t deserve to start vs Villa When not scoring, the Cameroon international looks extremely poor, with his overall game leaving a lot to be desired. He used to be extremely influential for the Bees, even when not on the scoresheet, but seems to have lost that touch at United. At least Amad puts in a shift defensively in every game, while managing to beat his man out wide. Mbeumo looks incapable of either, and Carrick should have subbed him off much earlier against Eddie Howe’s side. It is time he starts on the bench when United take on Aston Villa, in what has become a pivotal game in the Red Devils’ season. How Carrick recovers from this loss, and how he motivates the players to bounce back will go a long way in determining his credentials for the permanent post at the end of the season. Feature image Michael Regan 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 Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25