After a long transfer saga, Manchester United have submitted their third bid for Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo, and it is expected that this will be accepted.
On Thursday, Manchester United submitted a bid of £65 million, with an additional £5 million in add-ons, to Brentford for the Cameroonian forward, and it appears likely that they will finally secure their man.
Bryan Mbeumo put up 20 goals in the Premier League last season, bettered by only Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak, and Erling Haaland. He also provided seven assists on top of that. In total, only Salah and Isak recorded more goal contributions.
It is understandable both why Ruben Amorim wants him at Old Trafford so much, and why Brentford have been so stubborn with the fee they demanded for their star player, given the season he had.
Mbeumo’s goal output last season was excellent, and UtdDistrict highlight one particular quality he has that the club have lacked since Cristiano Ronaldo was last in Manchester.
Mbeumo makes goals happen no matter the situation
If you go and look at Mbeumo’s goal catalogue for Brentford last season, it immediately stands out for the quality of the goals being scored by the 25-year-old forward.
Mbeumo has scored with both feet, poached from close range and scored from distance, scored goals in the air, and found the net from all kinds of angles. Whether the ball is bouncing or at an awkward height, angle, or any other condition, it doesn’t matter. Mbeumo can still score, and this is not mentioned often enough.
The last time United had this ability to create goals from difficult situations consistently was when Cristiano Ronaldo was at the club. United’s other forwards are able to do this occasionally, but tend to score ‘nicer’ goals, particularly the wingers cutting in from wider areas.
Bruno Fernandes is another player with the ability to score in these awkward situations, but his goal output from open play has been dropping over the years as he has transitioned to playing a bit deeper in midfield at times.
In United’s forward line, they have lacked players who can score the difficult goals. If the Mbeumo deal goes over the line (pun intended), then he will bring something desperately required at United.
United will score more goals because of this
This need for perfect conditions is one of the reasons United have struggled to score goals in recent years, and having a player like Mbeumo who will pull the trigger (and has the quality to find the target) will add so many more goals to United.
Many of United’s players lack the confidence to take on shots in these awkward situations, preferring to try to settle the ball before releasing, but they often miss the window to shoot as a result.
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Players such as Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee are less inclined to shoot in these situations, being quite reliant on confidence. Mbeumo’s natural shooting instinct will be a very welcome addition to United’s attack because of this.
The fact that Mbeumo can score from so many different situations also really helps. He is not just a cut-in-and-shoot or transition goalscorer, but rather, he can score in all situations and game states, giving United a constant threat.
United have had goalscoring issues for years, and Mbeumo alone does not address this problem, but the potential signing could go a long way towards solving one of United’s biggest issues.
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