Scoring machine or freak season? What Mbeumo could bring to Man Utd

Last season, Manchester United struggled to score goals, and they now seem determined to do something about it.

They are now pursuing Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo after spending £62.5 million on Brazilian international Matheus Cunha.

They have since responded with an offer worth more than $ 60 million after being rejected from a bid for £45 million earlier in June.

Last season, Mbeumo scored 20 goals for Brentford, all league goals. More Premier League goals were scored by Manchester City, Alexander Isak, and Mohamed Salah, Newcastle, by Alexander Isak, and by Liverpool.

The 25-year-old has for the first time ever achieved double figures for a top-flight club.

In addition to the goals he scored for Brentford in the Championship in 2019-20, he also netted 16 goals for Ligue 2 Troyes in 2018-19.

In his first three Premier League seasons, Cameroon won eight, nine, and nine (in all competitions) for a fairly consistent total.

His 20-goal haul may be a one-time achievement, according to the expected goals (xG) statistic. His xG of only 12.3 was out, which makes it difficult to overstate.

Man Utd fans will be full of excitement, though, especially now that they recently experienced their worst Premier League season.

Along with Cunha and Mbeumo, the Portuguese manager is moving quickly to address that firepower.

After leaving Atletico Madrid in 2023, Cunha scored 31 goals in 76 games for Wolves, but United fans should be wary about expecting too much from the duo in front of goal.

Cunha placed third last season in terms of surpassing his expected goals (15 goals from 8.6 xg), with only Mbeumo and Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood recording bigger differences.

That level of clinical finishing has historically been unreliable.

However, the Cameroon international is being sold for more than just his goals.

Mbeumo prefers to play behind a striker, with Cunha expected to play behind him, but he also has the versatility to play centrally.

He consistently has the best end product and is at the top of the list for touches per 90 minutes for players who have scored more than 15 goals, demonstrating his involvement in the game.

He had seven assists, which placed him 17th overall, but he had the best number of expected assists in the Premier League, with 9.3 xA.

He would have anticipated that his team-mates would have completed more of his passes than they did. Salah only had an xA of 9.1 and had 18 assists.

Amorim frequently discussed United’s inability to maximize their chances last season.

They must score more goals than the pathetic 44 league goals they managed last year.

Mbeumo’s arrival should help to fill that void, but he will also offer more than that, like Cunha did.

He can move the ball forward with both strength and speed. The nippy variety of United’s attacking players are too many because they are more comfortable operating in small spaces.

A strong number nine who can play with his back to goal and hold the ball up effectively, combined with Mbeumo, will give the opposition more space to play in and opportunities to succeed.

United are attempting to prevent their previous recruitment strategy from going wrong by bringing in Premier League players who don’t need settling-in time, which is short after the season ended.

The transformation of Amorim’s squad cannot be over with Mbeumo, and the former Sporting boss claimed it might take a few transfer windows before he can get what he wants.

It is highly unlikely that the Bees would have imagined turning a £55 million profit six years later when Brentford purchased an 18-year-old Mbeumo from Troyes for a then club record-setting £5.8 million.

Mbeumo, who left Saudi side Al-Ahli after leaving Ivan Toney’s shadow, won the Premier League player of the year award alongside Salah, Isak, and Virgil van Dijk, who had the best season of his career to date last term.

The 25-year-old admitted to wanting to be the “best player possible” and that he is on the right track after scoring 20 goals in the Premier League last season.

Mbeumo, who uses a chef, physiotherapists, and personal trainers to prepare his meals at home, said, “Every little thing you can add to what we do on the training ground can help.”

“I tried to fit everything into my life on the pitch to be the best possible.”

Top-level football requires availability, and only teammate Nathan Collins played more games on the field than Mbeumo last year.

Mbeumo remarked, “Consistentity is really important.” The season must be performed for it to have big ambitions.