Gary Lineker says that two Manchester United stars have already answered their biggest question mark after fantastic starts to the season.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and goals from Matheus Cunha and Casemiro earned United a 4-2 victory over Brighton on Saturday evening.
Having won their previous three league matches at Old Trafford, Brighton started with confidence, battling for control as they tried to lure United’s press. Ruben Amorim’s Reds responded with a measured, long-ball strategy.
As Brighton’s defence faltered, United gained momentum. After 20 minutes, Cunha opened the scoring, and Casemiro made it two before the break with a deflected strike from distance. Early in the second half, Benjamin Šeško brought down a long ball and teed up Mbeumo for United’s third.
Danny Welbeck, a former academy graduate, pulled one back with a superb free kick, and Charalampos Kostoulas’s late header set up a tense finish. But Mbeumo sealed the win deep into stoppage time, ensuring United claimed all three Premier League points.
Mbeumo and Cunha already answering the big questions
When United brought in Cunha and Mbeumo, there was little doubt that the Reds were signing two incredibly talented stars. The former had just netted 15 league goals for Wolverhampton Wanderers, while the latter scored 20 for Brentford.
Cunha’s transfer fee was set at a fixed £62.5 million, while Bryan Mbeumo joined United for £65 million, potentially rising to £71 million with add-ons. If the club achieve all they hope, the duo will have cost them a combined £133.5 million.
Speaking on The Rest is Football, former England striker Gary Lineker had his say on the duo.
He explained that while the most significant question mark surrounding both was whether they could replicate their performances at an elite club like United, that question has already been answered by the Brighton win.
“He’s really good, Bryan Mbeumo,” Lineker said. I suppose the question mark against someone that’s done consistently well at a club like Brentford, with all due respect, is to then jump to one of the giants in world football and be able to handle it. And he clearly can. It’s not phased him in, in the slightest.
“And I would say the same with Cunha. I mean, obviously he’s got experience of Atletico Madrid, which, you know, he’s obviously one of the big boys in Spain, but Manchester United is a little different.”
Shearer praises Cunha and Mbeumo for pressure handling
Adding to Lineker’s point, Alan Shearer, Premier League all-time top scorer with 260 to his name, said that he feels the pair deserve extra praise for being able to hit the ground running in what is possibly the most challenging period in the club’s recent history.
Last season, United finished 15th in the league table with their lowest-ever points tally of just 42 in 38 games. But, with the side now having won three on the bounce, Cunha and Mbeumo have played a big role.
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“They’ve gone there at the most difficult time as well, haven’t they?” Shearer said.
“I mean, it’s not as if they’re going into a football club that’s flowing and winning games and all that; they’ve gone into a really turbulent club that has had a really tough time, and it’s the toughest time to go in there and perform.”
In the next few weeks, United have to face tough fixtures away at Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur, before then welcoming Everton to Old Trafford and heading to south London to play Crystal Palace.
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